Time To Say Goodbye
by AngelB216
Summary: Christine and Erik knew each other as teenagersand lovers in high school. Now, Christine works at the Populaire Theater. The mysterious patron seems so familiar to her...is it her long lost love? One shot...R and R. Story hopefully better than summary...
1. Dream of a MemoryPrologue

_"Wait up!" cried a voice behind Erik. Erik turned, and seeing his follower, continued on his way. _

_"Why won't you wait?" Christine asked breathlessly as she caught to him. He looked at her, but did not reply. She persisted. "Erik, I know you're upset that I'm moving, but can't you be mature about it? You're older than I am!" _

_He hunched his shoulders and continued down the sidewalk. Christine sighed, and grabbed his hand. _

_"I know it's hard, since we're still in high school. Well, I'm still in high school, you've just graduated. But I'll come back and visit, and we'll be able to email each other-"_

_"No you won't." he said so quietly Christine barely heard him. "You'll go off to high school and forget about me. I'll be here alone, until I graduate from college. Christine," He turned to her. "Spend one night with me." _

_"What? You mean like…?" She tried to grasp at the meaning, unable to really think about it. He nodded. _

_"I love you, and I can only hope you truly love me." Erik said, turning to face her at last. "I can't think about life without you. Please, leave me with this memory before I slip back into solitude." _

_Christine bit her lip. All those nights she had lay awake thinking about Erik like that, and now, he was asking her. She loved him, so much more than he knew. He put his arms around her. _

_"I'm not trying to guilt you or pressure you. If you don't want to, just say so." He said quietly into her ear, his velvet like voice making her shiver. Christine kissed him, letting her feelings pour into it. Erik smiled and held her even tighter. _

_"I'll see you tonight, my angel." _


	2. Mr Patron at Rehearsal

Christine opened her eyes. She had had that dream again. The one she had dreamed for many nights over the last 5 years. As she got up, she pondered why she still had that dream. Erik…her first love. The rumor was he had simply disappeared after her night with him. He was gone, and no one was entirely sure where he was. Though, there were rumors that the famous composer and patron of the Populaire Theater was Erik. But this man was never seen, and was only known by the name of Destler. Mr. Destler.

She sighed and began to get ready to go to work. There was no way she was going to survive today's rehearsal. _Not that I don't love my job_, she thought to herself as she washed her face and brushed her hair. She loved it more than anything; it was something she had always wanted to do. But lately, it didn't seem the same. Not since she began having the dream more and more often. And that night…

Christine shook her head and rushed to the stairs. No time to take the almost always broken elevator, she had a show to do.

---

As Christine neared the corner, she saw a small blonde girl standing on the corner. Smiling, she crept up behind her and grabbed her shoulders. The girl screamed and flailed her arms.

"D-don't DO that!" Meg gasped. The petite girl put a hand to her chest and glared at Christine.

"Sorry Meg. It was too perfect." Christine laughed, "I do it every morning anyway. How can you not be ready for it?" Meg blushed.

"Oh shut up. Let's hurry, or we'll be late!" The two young women ran down the street, dodging other people on their way to work.

It didn't take long to run the rest of the way down the winding streets to the square where the Populaire Theater stood. Christine looked at the magnificent building, its statues and columns shining in the morning sun. _How can I not love working here? I'm so lucky to be, _she thought as she began to walk across the square. Meg grasped her arm, smiling, and pointed at a nearby street performer. They stood and watched him juggle, applauding as he caught the balls and bowed. Christine dug in her purse for a few coins.

"Christine…" Meg said. Christine turned to see a sleek black car parked in front of the theater. "Is that legal?"

"I don't know…"

"Oh. My. God." Meg said as they walked over towards the performer's entrance. "It's him."

"Who?" Christine opened the door, feeling the air conditioning blast her hair out of its messy ponytail.

"The patron! Mr. Destler!" Meg began to run towards the dressing rooms, craning her neck to see the man. Christine rolled her eyes.

"Meg you aren't going to see him. He's probably in the office." Christine called after her. She laughed, knowing full well her friend was entitled to see the mysterious man. Who knows? Maybe he had a fetish for seeing chorus girls change into leotards. She laughed again, harder this time. Smiling, she entered the dressing room and to her spot on at the mirror. She looked around at the other women, who were smiling primping themselves in the mirror. The summer show was the opera Aida. Somehow, dressing in skimpy Egyptian costumes made them all giddy.

Christine felt slightly claustrophobic watching the others crowd at the mirrors. She finished putting on her ballet slipper and walked out of the room. Allowing her feet to lead her, she found herself on the stage. She smiled as she looked out at the blackness that was the house. Today was to be a dress rehearsal, so the lights were off, only the blinding stage lights were on.

Christine stood in the middle of the stage, imaging herself to be a leading lady, something she never intended to be. She slowly raised an arm to music that only played in her head, and rose up on her toes.

As the song continued, she began to dance with more feeling and grace. Her body seemed to choreograph a dance as intricate as any she had done professionally. She smiled as she leapt into the air. There was no greater thrill than dancing for Christine.

"Miss Daae!" a voice called out to her. She stopped and whirled around.

"Mr. Andre!" She said, blushing.

"Miss Daae, may I remind you that we have less than half an hour until our curtain rises? Why is your makeup not on? Why are you not warming up with the other ladies?" Mr. Andre scolded. He turned to the man next to him. "I am terribly sorry Mr. Destler, but sometimes our Chorus Girls have minds of their own! You know how women can be." Mr. Andre chuckled, clearly uneasy.

"There is nothing to be sorry for." The man said. Christine tried to get a glimpse of his face. He was a tall man; that was no question. _But why must he stand in the shadows,_ she thought, _I finally see the famous patron and he is not showing his face_!  
"You are very good Miss Daae." Mr. Destler continued quietly. "I enjoyed your little…display." There was something familiar about his voice. The way it sounded, deep and smooth. Taunting her.

"Have we…met?" Christine asked rather boldly.

"Miss Daae! I would appreciate it if you did not irritate our patron! He is here to watch the rehearsal, not be interviewed!" Mr. Andre cut in. "if you would Sir, this way…"

Mr. Destler did not move.

"Miss Daae! The dressing room or wherever you are supposed to be! NOW!" Mr. Andre cried, beginning to look flustered. Casting one last look at the patron in the shadows, she hurried away as fast as her shoes would allow.

"I am terribly sorry Sir. These chorus girls, you know how they can be…" Mr. Andre explained to him as she left.

"I have a feeling she may be more than a chorus girl." She heard Mr. Destler say softly.

---

"Where have you been Christine?!" Meg whispered. "Mr. Firmin is furious!"

"QUIET!" yelled Mr. Firmin, the choreographer. "Miss Daae, if you expect to hold a position in this theater, you will be on time for warm-up! You will have your makeup and costume perfect! Do you understand?"

"Yes sir. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Christine said almost mechanically. Head down, she took her place behind Meg. The other girls clucked their sympathy, a few giggled. They began their warm ups while Mr. Firmin walked around them, correcting them.

"Now, ladies. This is the first –put your arm down Miss Brenan- official dress rehearsal. I do not expect it to be perfect. I do not expect it to go smoothly. But may I remind you that this is not Community Theater! This is the real thing! For some of you, this show will tell us if you are good enough to stay.

I want all of you to try your best at this rehearsal. I have heard that Mr. Destler will be review whether or not this company is good enough to debut his musical-in-progress. Miss Redford, if you do not straighten up I will ask you to leave." He corrected her before continuing.

"I know we are good enough, you know it. So get your head into this show and do it right! You are not the ensemble of Aida, but ancient Egyptians!"

The women tittered. The news of Mr. Destler was particularly exciting. Each woman had her own fantasy about the patron. It was rare he came to a rehearsal, though he supposedly had Box 5 to himself.

"Curtain in 5 ladies!" A stage hand called into the room.

"Curtain in 5 thank you!" They responded.

"Now, go get ready for curtain, and find your partner in the wings. I am going to address them." Mr. Firmin instructed as he left the room. As he closed the door behind him, Meg turned to Christine.

"Hurry, I have to do your makeup in 5 minutes now!" She complained. "Where were you anyway?"

"I was…onstage." Christine said, following her best friend back to the dressing room. "I saw him." She said as an afterthought.

"You saw…Mr. Destler?" Meg's mouth dropped open.

"Yes. But what does it matter? I couldn't see anything about him except that he was sort tall. And he was wearing a black suit."

"But don't you realize what this means? He is an actual person! He could still be the handsome, brown haired, godly man!" Meg gushed, putting golden eye shadow on her friend. "If he's tall, he's the perfect man for me. How come you couldn't see him?" She sighed.

"Meg. Every single woman has her eye on a man who we don't even know!" Christine put blush on her cheeks. "Besides, he didn't come out of the shadows. I don't think he wanted me to see him. "

"And? Are you saying you don't love him?" Meg asked, staring at her friend in the mirror. "Don't tell me you're still dreaming about that guy you got with when we were seniors! Why wouldn't he want you to see him?"

"No! I just think it's not logical to fantasize about someone who only composes music! He's our patron for God's sake! And who knows why? He's so damn mysterious all the time! Who knows what he has to hide?" Christine snapped as she put her brush down harder than she meant to, making a loud cracking sound. She did not want to think about Erik. Feeling more irritated than she needed to, Christine got up and brushed some of the curls out of her face. "Can we just go?"

Meg looked taken back, but began to move toward the door. Christine frowned at herself in the mirror. What was that all about anyway?

---

"I am not impressed." He said quietly.

"B-but Mr. Destler! What is wrong?" Mr. Firmin stammered.

"How may I put this? The chorus is entrancing but the dancing is a lamentable mess." Mr. Destler turned away in disgust. "Do you think they can improve by the opening?"

"Sir, I know Mr. Firmin is doing all he can to get the choreography down! Please, wait until opening night!" Mr. Andre pleaded.

"I do like the orchestra however…" The patron continued. "Monsieur Reyer does a good job with orchestra. Of course, my musical would require a bigger orchestra."

"Yes sir."

**I hope you like it so far! This is totally on a whim! But i do think i know where its going!**

** AOD**


	3. Friends and Opening Night

"I'm so tired!" Meg complained as they left the theater that night.

"Too tired to go out to eat with us?" Christine asked.

"Come on Meg. You're such a party girl; it's hard to believe anything else!" Angel DuMonte giggled. Meg smiled.

"Fine. But let's make it quick ok? We start early tomorrow!"

"Since when did you care?" Christine rolled her eyes and laughed. "Chinese sounds really good right now. Let's go back to my apartment for take out ok?" The girls agreed, and they began to walk back down the winding streets to Christine's apartment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Destler pulled up to his house, gazing at the dark windows. _Christine…how you've changed_, he thought. The mystery man opened the front door calling out to his butler.

"I'm home Gerard." He called to the seemingly empty house. "Please, I would like my dinner now."

"Very good sir!" a voice called from far away. "Shall I bring it to the music room?"

"Yes." He started up the stairs, pausing only to gaze at the picture on the wall. It was of his senior prom. He stood in a black tuxedo, his beautiful girlfriend in a long emerald green dress. How beautiful Christine looked!

And now he had his inspiration. He was ready to tackle the final song in his musical, tell how it ended. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the smell of his music room. The smell of the piano, the pages of music. He imagined he could smell the sweat, the frustration, everything that had gone the musical. Mr. Destler could only hope that it was the success he wanted. He craved the success that would make him feel fulfilled after years of searching for a story, for the music that would make his career. That was what he had been searching for since he began college. He was ready to write the end. Adjusting his mask, he slipped made his way to the piano and sat down. As he placed his fingers on the keys, he imagined what it would be like to write this final piece. Perhaps it would inspire him to make the ending happy. With a slight smile he began to play.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Angel! What are you doing?" Christine cried as she watched her friend slump down on the couch. "Did you drink too much again?"

" No. 'Course not." Angel's words were slightly slurred as she spoke. "I'm jus' tryin' to enjoy myself. Can't a girl do that after a stressful day at work?"

"Yes. But it would require she doesn't fall asleep in my living room…again." Christine picked up the beer cans and threw them into the trash. "I love you Angel, but you got to look after your health!"

"Oh Christine, lay off of her. She's just stressed." Meg took a sip of the beer can in her hand. "Besides, she'll probably feel better if you tell her about the patron."

"Meg!" Christine cried, but it was too late. Angel sat up and looked somewhat sober. "It's nothing! I just saw his suit. So what?"

"It's because she's in love with her old boyfriend from high school?" Meg whispered loudly.

"What about Raoul?" Angel asked, looking perfectly innocent.

"What about him?" Christine asked, feeling rather cornered. "He's old news."

"Ah, but I be hearin' he come around for ya lass." Angel put on a fake accent. "He still be lovin' her."

"What? You never tell me anything Chrissie!" Meg cried, looking dejected. She leaned forward eagerly for details.

"I'm not telling you anything! And no, I don't like Raoul anymore. I haven't seen him in ages." Christine said. It was a lie, but she really wanted them to get off her case. "What about Tom?"

"What about Tom? We've been dating since college. He still hasn't asked me to marry him." Angel rolled her head. "I don't see much of a future with him."

"Oh Angel." Meg sighed. "I think you both are lucky to have love in your life."

"Meg, you are perfectly capable of finding someone. You just choose not to." Christine scolded.

"So? No one has caught my eye." Meg replied. She was lying on the floor. "At least I admit when I think someone is attractive. Besides, you won't even admit you are curious about the mysterious Mr. Destler."

"Why would I be? I don't have some weird fantasy about him."

"When I think about him, I imagine a well built, chocolate skinned man." Angel sighed. "He will say 'Angel, you beautiful ensemble, you are destined for something other than chorus girl.' And he'll take me away to some foreign country and help me become famous. When I'm famous, he'll ask me to marry him and we will make love until the day we die in each others arms."

"Hey when I said curious, I didn't mean horny." Christine swatted at her friend.

"Hmph. And you got mad at me for telling you I wanted Mr. Destler to be a tall brunette! At least I didn't say my sexual fantasy about him." Meg pouted. "Though I think I would like him to lay me down on a feather bed and-"

"Ah! Shut up! Some of us have virgin ears!" Christine cried. Angel laughed, spilling some beer onto the carpet. "Hey! Angel!"

"Sorry. You so don' have virgin ears."

"Well, I'm glad to know your guy's personal fantasies about Mr. Destler. He's probably married or gay or something."

"How sad. Why ruin our good time?" Meg sighed and sat up. "You act as though you have no fantasies about men and sex."

"I don't share them. Besides, everyone has some sort of fantasy over him. What's so great about a man who never shows?"

"Mystery, Christine, mystery." Angel said. She got up. "I'd better head home. We have a big day. Thanks for dinner." She hugged Meg and Christine and walked toward the door. She stumbled a bit.

"I'd better walk you home." Meg rolled her eyes. "Maybe Christine is right. You do need to cut back on the drink."

"I'm fine."  
"And I'm married. Come on, I'll take you home. See you tomorrow Christine! Try not to think too hard about Ethan or Erik or whoever!"

"Goodnight guys. And its Erik." Christine made her way to the bathroom. A nice hot shower and bed would make her body feel so much better_. My girlfriends are too much_, she thought happily, as she turned on the water. What would she do without their comic relief?

As she settled into her bed a half an hour later, she paused before she turned out her light. Could Mr. Destler be Erik? If he was, would he remember her and the very special night they had shared? She had not slept with any other man since then, not even Raoul. Christine thought about that night. She remembered it like it was yesterday, the smell of Erik, the moonlight coming in through the window.

That voice. It had sounded so familiar, the way it caressed the vowels, its softness. A deep, almost purring voice, he knew how to use it to its advantages. He had been taunting her, she was sure of it. What right would give a man such as Mr. Destler the ability to tease her in that subtle, insane way? He did not strike her as the man who would use his wealth and power to his advantage. But what did she know? She had only heard stories, rumors. Christine could not help but wonder if the rumor of him was true. It was a powerful temptation to find out. Though she had only seen part of his body and heard his voice for a few minutes, something about him intrigued her. Christine sighed. _If I'm not careful_, she thought, _I will wind up like my friends and a great deal of the ensemble_. Fantasizing over a man with only a name. Sighing, she turned out the light and went to sleep. It was going to be a long week of rehearsals.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"_I'll see you tonight my love." As Erik turned away, Christine watched him. Are you Mr. Destler? She thought. _

_The scene changed. The park melted away and seemed to become Erik's bedroom. _

_Erik was sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing the black jeans that drove Christine crazy. _

"_Do you know me?" he asked, staring at her._

"_W-what?" Christine was startled. This wasn't part of the memory. "I don't understand."_

"_Who do you think I am?" Erik got up and stood by Christine, looking down at her. He seemed to tower over her. _

"_You're Erik." Christine said. Erik began to fade, he was disappearing. "Erik!" She cried. "Don't go!"  
But he said nothing, only faded into nothingness, leaving Christine alone in the bedroom. _

For the next few week, it was like this. Christine did not understand it. She had never dreamt a new ending to the memory. Was it the meeting she had with the patron that caused this?

"No." she said to herself allowed. "Now get yourself up and get ready. Tonight is a big night."

That day she planned to spend shopping with Angel and Meg. Meg had hinted at bringing a new friend along. Christine had paid little attention. Her mind seemed to always be wandering into the past. Or to her dream. Sometimes, she found herself thinking about that man. What was so interesting about him? She hadn't really met him, yet she couldn't stop thinking about him.

Her phone rang. Christine sat up in bed, and reached for the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Christine! It's Meg!" Her friend's voice came through the line. "Did I wake you?"

"No. Another minute earlier, you might've."  
"Oh. Well, anyway, do you have a date for the after party tonight?"

"No. Why would I ask someone? Who would I ask?"  
"Well, its nothing but I was at the theater this morning and I heard that Raoul is going to be there tonight!"

"Why? He's the patron of the Crawford Theater."

"I don't know. That's all I heard. Look, I gotta hop in the shower before we go to the mall."

"Me too. Bye."

"Bye darling." Christine hung up the phone. Raoul deChagny. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. Maybe she would pretend to be sick. It was just one party. Besides, she would definitely attend the Bal Masque, he would not recognize her there. But that was 2 months away.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is my friend Sorelli Valli." Meg said. "She works at the Crawford Theater."

"Hi." Angel and Christine said in unison. "Nice to meet you." Sorelli smiled shyly. She was built much like Meg, but with short brown hair, rather than long blonde hair. It was amazing how the two looked alike.

"So. I vote we go and shop until we drop!" Angel said enthusiastically. "It's never too early to find a dress for the Bal Masque! I think I want to go as an Egyptian this year, in the spirit of Aida!"

"Have you been drinking?" Christine teased. Angel glared at her and turned to Sorelli.

"See what abuse I have to put up with from her? Be careful, she's a demon that one!"

"Oh, come on. Let's go!"

It was a fun outing for them. Sorelli fit in perfectly with the little trio and they were soon yelling and laughing at the clothes and items they picked out. Sure, Meg got them kicked out of a store, but they decided it was too juvenile for them anyway. Laughing about it over a pizza, they gossiped about their theaters. Surprisingly, Sorelli knew most(if not all) the performers at the Populaire Theater. Angel and Christine were surprised and told her she ought to try out at the Populaire.

"Why work at the Crawford when you can come work with us?" Angel asked, wiping her hands on a napkin.

"I heard that your patron, Mr. Destler, was going to use our company for his new show." Sorelli said. "It's still being discussed with the managers."

"What? But we heard he was using our company!"

"Maybe not. I don't know. Well, whoever he uses, I'd like to audition with. I know that his works are fantastic, though I don't think he's ever done a whole musical."

"Well, if he uses one company, would the theater allow for open auditions? Or would they use the company that is employed for the season?"

"I do hope it's for all actors," Sorelli sighed, "It would a chance of a lifetime to play a part in his show."

"Speaking of shows, when do we need to be at the theater?" Meg asked.

"In about 3 hours…it's still pretty early." Christine said, checking her watch. "You should come tonight Sorelli!"

"Oh I don't know…"

"Please? Will you come with Meg and me to the gala afterward?" Christine begged. "We don't have dates, and it will be more fun if you're there."

"What am I?" Angel asked indignantly.

"A girl with a steady boyfriend."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opening night was always hectic. With the leading lady(for multiple seasons in a row) throwing a temper tantrum, it was hard to focus on the show at hand. Mr. Firmin was really stressing out over a few of the ensemble members being late, and Mr. Andre was running around trying to make sure everything was perfect. Christine and Meg secretly doubted that Mr. Andre knew the first thing about behind the stage, but kept quiet about it. They focused on themselves, turning attention to their makeup and making sure their costumes were just right.

The show went relatively well, save a few of the ensemble forgetting some of the dance and the woman playing Aida tripping on her costume. Christine stayed at the gala for a bit, and tried to plead sick with Meg.

"I know you're not sick!" Meg scowled, looking at Christine in disgust.

"Come on Meg," Sorelli said, "Let her alone."

"At least wait for Mr. Andre to give his speech!" Meg said, ignoring Sorelli. Christine sulked, but decided to obey her friend. It was after all, opening night.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You…you want what?" Mr. Andre asked, quite taken aback. Mr. Destler looked at him, feeling slightly irritated.

"I want to use your theater as the place for the show. But I want open auditions for the casting." He repeated. Mr. Firmin turned red.

"You doubt the talent of the company?" He asked angrily. Mr. Andre put a warning hand on his shoulder.

"No." the patron said with deadly quietness. "But I believe if this show is to be a success, I need something no one will expect. No one will expect a cast from both the Populaire and the Crawford. If this show is to be a success, I need to expand the cast. More cast, more orchestra, more set builders, the works. This show must and will be good. I expect nothing less from this talented city, these two talented casts. As for the cost, I shall cover it. No doubt this will make the Populaire more popular." The room was silent.

"Does this mean I will lose my job?" Monsieur Reyer asked his French accent thickening.

"No. I wish for you to conduct the orchestra. I do not want that idiot over at the Crawford. You have talent like no other pit orchestra conductor." Monsieur Reyer smiled, satisfied. "Will my demands be met?"

"Of course Sir."


	4. Costumes

Christine sighed. The weeks had flown by and now it was closing night of Aida. Secretly, she was glad. It was a tedious show; the Populaire was more suited for operettas and musicals than it was heavy opera. But she knew it was all in the competition for the show that Mr. Destler had was putting on.

Most of his musicals were very demanding, physically and vocally. Christine had been in a few, but had not had to play a lead. That was for Lucy to do, the Populaire diva. There had rarely been any competition for her, and she knew it. Angel often wondered if it was because Mr. Andre was too afraid to cast anyone else, or if it was simply that she was that good. Christine thought that as good as Lucy was, she felt there was someone better.

Mr. Destler still had not announced which theater would have the honor of showing musical. No one even knew its name, save for the composer himself. Christine hoped that she would be able to get a minor role this time, rather than just the ensemble. As much as she loved it, she had been paying her dues at the theater since she had graduated college.

She wondered if it would even be the fall or winter show, as the summer show was now ending. As August ended, auditions for the fall show always began. It was a constant cycle of a show and then an audition. It made her life a little easier in terms of auditions, but made her worried that she would be out work for a season. Anyone who worked the way she did ran the risk. When she was working, she did not worry about money, but if she was not rehearsing, it was hard to make ends meet. _'I will have to marry a rich man.'_ She decided as she put on her makeup.

"Earth to Christine." Meg said, waving a hand in front of her friend's face. "You've been staring at that mirror for far too long. You're not that gorgeous."

"Thanks Meg."

"What I'm here for sweetie. Anyway, what's on your mind? You've been spacey since the show opened." Christine hesitated to answer. Should she tell Meg about her dream? Not only the one about Mr. Destler but about having some sort of part in the next show?

"Not much. Just thinking about my next job." It wasn't a complete lie…

"Oh don't worry. Firmin loves your dancing, and your singing is good enough, just like the rest of us."

"You're making my ego inflate." Christine said sarcastically. They made their way to the wings to wait for opening cue.

"Still, don't worry." Meg whispered. "You're coming to the after party right?"

"I don't know…I'm going to be tired and it'll be so late…"

"Stop it. You are going to have a life!" Meg said, a little too loudly. Some of the other ensemble glared at her. She brushed it off.

"Maybe." It was good enough for Meg. Christine frowned. It still left possible chance for her friend to drag her anyway, but what could she do? Meg cared for her; she had since Christine had come to live with her and her mother. It was like having an older sister.

The performance went reasonably well for a closing night show. Like every closing night, Lucy got a standing ovation. This time the entire cast got one, it was quite a thrill for the two girls. Bowing and squinting into the bright lights, they smiled and waved to the crowd as they exited off-stage.

"Party time!" Yelled one of the guards.

"Every time is party time for you Christian." Meg said playfully. He grinned.

"But tonight's extra special" He said, putting his spear on the prop table. "I heard that Mr. Andre was going to announce what the next show is rather than plastering it up on the notice board! It could be that new show of Mr. Destler's!"

There was a sudden rush to the dressing rooms. Everyone wanted know if they had a part in the new show, the faster they got to the party, the faster they would know. Christine went along with the rush of human traffic. Meg eventually wiggled her way over to her, a particularly easy task since she was so small.

"Hurry! We don't want to miss anything!" Meg cried. Christine hurried to oblige her friend, but really didn't see why they needed to fuss so much. She tired to suppress the feeling of excitement that everyone else was feeling.

Soon, they rushed away with the throng of people heading to the ballroom in the theater that was used for parties. Mr. Andre was waiting there for them. As people grabbed drinks and talked with others about the performance, he stood there waiting for them to quiet down. With the arrival of Lucy, he held up a hand.

"Congratulations everyone! You've successfully put on the opera Aida!" He said. "It was a wonderful show; I would love to commend our leads, Aida and Ramades!" Polite applause filled the room, while Lucy beamed and waved a hand.

"And our next show! As you all know, Mr. Destler was here for most of our performances and some of our dress rehearsals. During that time, he was evaluating our company, seeing who was fit to be in his show and who was not. Mr. Destler also went to our rival theater, the Crawford.

He deemed that our theater was fit to hold his show." Applause rang out and people cheered. "However," Mr. Andre continued, "He did not think our cast was sufficient enough to do his show. Therefore, there will be an open audition for the casting. Mr. Destler will the casting (this meaning the acting and singing), as well as myself and Ms. Kay. Mr. Firmin will do dance auditions, along side the choreographer at the Crawford, Mr. Chung. Musicians, you will be auditioned by Monsieur LeFevre and Ms. Brightman.

We not know all the details just yet, so as soon as we know, you will be informed. We hope you will all try our best, since this stage is the stage that you have been on while performing with this company.

Unfortunately, as our next show is already planned, the musical will not debut until the spring. We will begin auditions for them in January of next year. I know it seems very far away, but it's good to plan ahead. As for our next show, it will be the opera 'Hannibal'. Auditions begin the second week of September. We will have it posted." Mr. Andre finished. "To the Populaire!"

And so it began. The long wait. Christine was cast in Hannibal, as well as Meg. They were ensemble yet again. This time though, they were in the ballet.

The weather began to get colder, fall was there. As the days turned into weeks, the leaves began to fall and the mornings began to get colder. Often, when Christine met Meg, they would go to a café for coffee or something warm to drink. Meg was a sight to behold. Every morning she was bundled up in a sweater, scarf, gloves, and earmuffs. Christine would often laugh, but not for long, as she was wearing just as much.

Hannibal was considerably harder than Aida. The singing was as demanding, as was the dancing. If anything, it was more demanding. The costume and set design people did not sound too happy, this production would be harder.

As usual, excitement began to build up as the end of October neared. The Bal Masque would be on Halloween that night, making it extra special.

The Bal Masque was the major fundraiser for the Populaire Theater. Many important people bought tickets. It was a party that only adults could attend. Not that it was erotic in any way, but with alcohol and masked men and women, the party could get a little raunchy.

The weekend before the party, Christine found herself at the mall with her three girlfriends yet again. Browsing the racks, they discussed who they were going to go with as dates and if they would do a pair costume.

"This is perfect." Angel said as she pulled a red and white dress off the rack. "I'll go as a Santa kind of thing." Meg giggled.

"What would Tom go as?" she asked.

"An elf." All three women collapsed in giggles. True, they were acting more like high schoolers than adult women, but they were having a fabulous time picking out dresses. As they tried on the dresses in a whirlwind of colors, the time also seemed to slip away. Eventually, Meg decided on a renaissance looking gown, saying that she would be a queen.

"After all," she giggled, "I want Christian to think I am a queen!"

"Christian Brightman?" Angel asked incredulously. "He's a really good dancer!"

"I know. Are you going to stick with the Santa idea?"

"Yeah. Look, here's a red and gold mask to match!" Angel put it to her face. "Christine and Sorelli, come out so we can see what you two look like! We're in our costumes!"

Sorelli stepped out in a black and white gown. On her face was a mask that resembled a cat. She had put ears on her head to make it more realistic.

"Do I look like a cat?" She asked, twirling around for the two other girls to see the gown.

"Of course." Angel responded. "Christine! Hurry up!"

"I would…"Christine's muffled voice came through the changing room door, "except my zipper is stuck!" Meg rolled her eyes and went to help her. When Meg came out, she was beaming.

"She looks really good!" Meg said as Christine stepped out. And indeed she did. Christine wore a white and silver gown. The cut of the gown dared to drop low, and was tight until it reached her hips, where the fabric flowed down to the floor. Christine had put on a matching mask, and white evening gloves. To complete the look, she had found a small pair of angel wings.

"You look…gorgeous." Angel said. Sorelli nodded in agreement.

"I feel so inadequate." Sorelli confessed, looking down at her cat dress.

"Stop it, both of you." Christine scolded. "I feel so different though..." she admitted, turning to catch a glimpse of herself.

"You'll make every man in the room want to dance with you!" Meg cried, clapping her hands.

"Gee, I hope that Mr. Firmin gives a slightly easier rehearsal that Friday, or we'll be too tired to dance on Saturday!" Angel said.

How wrong she was. Mr. Firmin made it an excuse to work them harder.

"Come on ladies and gentlemen! This is not a hard routine! Pick it up! In time with the beat! The beat!" He said, snapping his fingers.

"He doesn't have to do it!" Meg muttered to Angel, who took a deep breath and turned to her partner.

"Miss Giry! Would you care to share?" Mr. Firmin barked. Meg shook her head. "Then I suggest you be quiet and focus on your dancing.

It was a nightmare of a rehearsal. By the time they were done, Christine barely had the strength to walk offstage and change. Every muscle seemed to be screaming for rest. Christine knew that a nice hot bath, a cup of tea, and her pillow was ideal for the evening. Somewhere in she might eat, if she didn't collapse on the way home. Meg must have been thinking the same thing, for she suggested they take a taxi, rather than walk in the cold October night.

Mr. Destler looked at his costume. It was perfect. He knew that no one would recognize him, not even the idiot manager, Mr. Andre.

"It's time to do a little haunting of the Populaire." He said aloud, as he finished laying the red costume on the chair. Smiling slightly, he turned off the lights and closed the door. Soon. Soon, he would be back in the Populaire more regularly, if all went as planned. If Christine remembered him.


	5. Bal Masque

Saturday night came all too slowly. Rehearsal had been cancelled due to the Bal Masque. Christine was secretly glad she was not on the decorating or cleaning staff of the Populaire Theater.

Still, she had to sit around her apartment and do nothing. Meg had taken Christian (the guard) to go mask shopping, as he thought it would be so very funny to come in a wrestling mask. Angel was visiting a friend in the hospital and Sorelli was busy with her part-time job at a local café. So, until it was time for her to go to Angel's house to be put through the torture of letting her girlfriends help her prepare(though she didn't mind doing her girlfriend's makeup and hair), she was alone.

Rather than let her mind wander to the nothingness of the patron, she sat down at the piano she had in her living room. She usually only played classical pieces and today was no exception.

She played.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fireworks illuminated the Theater in an assortment of reds, green, and blues. Erik could almost hear the orchestra playing inside. Such a formal party usually meant ballroom dance, something he thoroughly enjoyed. He was a man of the arts.

"Will we be seeing a certain young lady?" a man dressed in a tuxedo and a black mask over his eyes asked.

"I hope so." Mr. Destler replied.

"You have some sort of plan?"

"Perhaps." He did in fact have a plan. Now it was time to put it into motion. He didn't need to tell his best friend and right handed man.

"Of all the times you choose to stay quiet, you have to do it now?" Nadir Khan said a bit crossly.

"If it fails, I do not want to have to admit it to you." Nadir rolled his eyes.

"Always the serious man." Mr. Destler merely smiled and adjusted his mask.

As they came through the great doors, a blast of warm air and music hit them. Nadir gazed at the grand ballroom in amazement. He had never been to a party like this before. Erik looked around as well, taking in the many different colors. Black and white dominated the scene, gowns and coat tails swirling in time with a waltz.

"Ah! Our patron has decided to come!" Mr. Andre said, coming to grab Mr. Destler's hand in an enthusiastic handshake. "What are you this year…?"

"Red Death." Mr. Andre dropped the hand, trying to conceal his surprise.

"Ah! Very good idea Mr. Destler!"

"Nadir, shall we proceed?" Nadir leaped at the chance to get his friend from the pesky manager.

"Certainly sir. I see an angel over there who would probably love to dance with you."

It was her. Christine. M r. Destler watched her as she stood with her friends drinking a glass of wine. She did look like a true angel in her costume.

"Will you be putting your plan in to action now?" Nadir asked. The patron shook his head.

"It would seem someone else is dancing with her." Nadir took a second look. It was true, someone dressed as a rooster had gotten Christine to dance with him. Her friend, the little blonde one, was also dancing with a handsome blonde boy, who seemed to be wearing his mask with discomfort.

"May I go and ask that particularly pretty mermaid to dance with me?" Nadir asked, ensuring that he would not miss any of the action of their plan. Mr. Destler nodded. He stood and watched as his friend went and extended a hand to the woman. She smiled and took it. He continued to watch the other people dance, waiting for his chance to come and take Christine.

It came soon, once the song had ended, the man clearly had an intention to dance with Christine again. That would not do for him. He maneuvered through the crowd of people where the Rooster still clutched Christine's hand.

"May I cut in?" He asked.

"Sorry, but this dance is mine." The Rooster said. He was similar into to his animal as he was a bit cocky.

"I believe that it is for the lady to decide." Christine looked at him.

"I would like to dance with this man." She indicated to the man in the skull mask.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christine was happy to have a mysterious man rescue her from a Rooster. He was terribly sweaty and had bad breath. As she raised her arms into her new partner's arms she got the distinct smell of roses. Was he wearing perfume?

"Thank you." She said quietly. "May I ask what you are masquerading as? I've never seen it before."

"Red Death." He responded. His voice was so familiar. "You are an angel I presume."

"Yeah."

"A very good choice, if I may be permitted to say." Her brow furrowed.

"A compliment is always welcome."

"Then it is a very good thing that I have given one. Tell me, you are Miss Christine Daae?"

"Yes. But how did you know?"

"I have seen you in dance productions. I have also heard you have a magnificent singing voice."

"I'm surprised you remember me. I'm usually a chorus girl. And my voice…it's no better than the next ensemble member." Christine felt sort of trapped, how did this man so much about her? And why did he sound so annoying familiar?

"Will you be auditioning for the Destler musical?" Red Death asked her. She nodded.

"I expect I'll be ensemble."

"Do you wish for more than that?" He asked her, spinning her. She thought about her answer. Christine knew she would probably never see him again.

"I guess I'm like everyone else. I dream of my time in a leading role."

"And I believe you can get it." She looked shocked, almost pulling away from him.

"What?"

"If you practice your voice. We both know you are a superb dancer, one of the best in the Populaire Company."

"How do you suggest I do that?" Christine's curiosity was being kicking in; there was nothing she could do to stop it. This man believed in her.

"Receive coaching of course."

"You wouldn't happen to be a music teacher would you?" Christine asked lightly, intending it to be more a joke than anything else.

"May I cut in?" The Rooster was back. "You've had her for several songs."

"I would like to continue dancing with Death." Christine said shortly. Between garlic and roses, she preferred roses. Even if it did come from a man who dressed as death. The Rooster snorted and strutted away. Christine turned back to her partner. He had a small, half smile on his lips.

"Very amusing Miss Daae. And to answer your question before we were rudely interrupted, I am a musician. Would that suffice?"

Christine was taken back.

"Yes." The word popped out of her mouth before she could think. Christine was horrified. She didn't know who this man was, yet she was accepting his offer.

"Do you often accept offers from men you do not know?" He asked softly. Clearly he was also surprised that she had accepted his offer so readily. She blushed.

"No. I don't know why that came out of me so fast." She looked down at their feet rather than look at him.

"I guarantee I will not harm you." he said. "Take my card. It has my address and phone number. May I request that we have a trial run Monday?"

"May I call you…tomorrow?" Christine asked him. "I need to think about it."

"Of course." Red Death said. He inclined his head, and spun her again.

"Since you're possibly going to teach me", Christine said, "What's your name?"

"Destler." The song ended and he released her. "Thank you for the dances." Christine was speechless. Destler. He was the patron. Mr. Destler must have seen the look on her face (the parts that weren't covered by a mask) and smiled slightly. He then pulled a rose out of thin air and handed it to her.

"I'll be waiting for your call." He said and kissed her hand. Christine watched him as he walked away. He was the patron. She had been invited to sing for the patron of the musical himself. Not only was he Red Death, he was the patron. She looked down at the rose in her hand. It wasn't just any rose.

Christine felt faint. Still clutching the rose, she quickly exited the dance floor and left the Theater. Walking quickly, she caught a taxi and made her way up to her apartment. Without bothering to take off her evening gloves, shoes, or mask Christine went to her bedroom and got down on the carpeted floor, though not before setting the rose on the bedside table with care. Her hair got caught on the bed frame as she fished around, but she didn't care.

When she had found what she was looking for, Christine got up and sat on her bed. She looked at the box in her hands.

It wasn't a terribly big box, big enough to sit comfortably in her lap, it was fairly tall. She had left in unmarked, but it still said 'Flat Christmas Ornaments' from when her father and her had used them.

She opened it. Inside lay all sorts of things. Sheets of paper that were really letters were on top. She cleared them off. Below them were sheets of music, songs that had been written for her. A small square of cloth lay beneath that. It was part of a blanket. She lifted it out and held it to her face. It still smelled of the last time she looked at it, when she put it in the box. Under that, there was a black scarf and gloves. There was a birthday card and Christmas card, both adorned with the same angel and rose. Finally, she came to what she had been looking for. Another box. This one was different. It fit perfectly at the bottom of the box. It was a wooden box with the Taj Mahal carved into it. On the sides were black and pearl inlay. She pulled it out (with some difficulty as it was snug in the bottom), and put the first box aside.

Now, she stopped. Christine had not seen what was inside for years. Since she had left the home she had known for many years and went to live with Meg and her mother. That was almost 9 years ago. But she had kept the box and all the memories and stories it contained. There was no going back.

Holding her breath, she opened the box. Inside lay a dozen of black roses. They once were red, but time had dried them to a red black tinge. Some of them had been black when they were given to her. She smiled at the memory. Christine took out one of them and fingered the black ribbon around it. All of them had black ribbons.

Christine took the rose from the bedside table. In the dim light from the hall, she saw its vibrant red color and green thorn less stem.

And it's black ribbon. The satin black ribbon.

She knew who Mr. Destler was. The pieces all fit. Why she had known the voice, why the smell of roses had been so prominent. It wasn't perfume she had smelt, but rather the natural smell of Erik. He had loved roses, and it had not changed in 9 years.

But at the same time, he was different. She had not recognized his voice. It was darker, sadder, angrier. So unlike the Erik she had known. Had that changed after she had left? Or did something happen before the day she saw him that caused him to seem to be alone and angry?

"Erik Destler." She said to herself. He had changed his name. "Erik."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erik had watched as Christine looked at the rose and left the ballroom. He had decided to stay, Nadir had wanted to stay. He could not deny his friend that simple pleasure in life. Erik had not danced with anyone else; there had been no one he wanted to. Despite the many girls that had come and flirt with him, he had made no attempt to find someone to sleep with that night.

After midnight, Erik had found Nadir and taken him home. Nadir was staying with Erik for the time being. His house had caught fire and Nadir had no place to go. So, Erik had asked him to come and stay with him.

He had left Nadir at the staircase of his house and went into his room and taken off the mask. A shower was most welcoming to him, and he fell onto the bed. It was then he slept, almost fitfully. A sleep that held Christine and her beautiful voice. He did not wake up screaming, he did not awake to a cold sweat. For the first time in a long time, he was at peace.


	6. Shadow Lesson

The next morning, Erik was awoken by the phone ringing. Groaning, he pulled himself over to the side of the bed where the phone lay.

"Hello?" he said, a bit groggily.

"Did I wake you?" a worried voice came through the line. It was Christine. "I thought it would be ok to call after noon." Was it really noon? Had he slept that long?

"I should have been up hours ago Miss Daae." Erik said sitting up and running a hand through his hair.

"Oh. I, well, I wanted to say that I will be coming on Monday."

"Good. I expect to see you at 6:00." Erik said and hung up. He lay back in the bed and thought about what had happened. She was coming. He got up and put on some sweat clothes and his mask. As he opened his door, he was greeted with a fist in his face.

"Sorry!" Nadir said, dropping the hand. "I was going to see if you were going to go work out." Erik nodded.

"So, how'd it go last night…?" Nadir asked, unsure of whether his friend would explode or not.

"Exactly as I planned." Erik said.

"Don Juan triumphs!" Nadir joked. Erik smiled, but did not bother to correct his friend. There was no point in straightening him out.

"You did WHAT?" Meg screamed into the phone. Christine cringed.

"Yeah. I'm going to his house Monday."

"Not only do you meet the patron, but you get invited to his house?!" Meg cried incredulously.

"Yeah."

"Are you going to sleep with him? Is he as sexy as that guy you dated…Erik? Erik Desmond! There I remembered his name!" Christine held her breath and silently debated whether or not she should tell her friend who Mr. Destler really was. But she didn't want to give it away. It was something he probably didn't want people to know.

"No. Speaking of sleeping with people, did you have fun with Christian?"

"Yes! Oh my GOD Christine, he is amazing! He does this thing-"

"Too much Meg!" Christine laughed. Sometimes Meg went a little overboard with her details.

"Ah! Fine. I'll just call Angel and talk to her about it."

"Ok. You do that."  
"Tell me how your date with the sexy Mr. Destler goes."

"I will. And it's not a date it's a music lesson."

"Same thing." Meg hung up. Christine put the phone down and smiled. She could always count on her friend to ease her doubts. Even if sometimes it was an unspoken one, Meg had a way of settling Christine's mind. Now Christine had to wait. Again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When she got to Erik's house the next day, she stood in the cold and stared at the house. It wasn't terribly big, but it was really nice.

"Do you expect to stand out here and stare at the house?" A voice came from beside her. She jumped and turned her head. A dark man with a goatee stood watching her with his fierce black eyes.

"N-no. I'm just nervous." She said.

"Don't worry. Erik isn't all that bad, his bark is worse than his bite." The man said cheerfully. "Come on, I'm going in too." Christine followed the man down the path towards the door. He paused for a moment to open the lock then held the door open for her.

As Christine stepped through the threshold, she was surprised by how elegant the front room was.

"Your coat Miss Daae?" A butler came and held out his hand. She took it off. "My name is Gerard. If there is anything you need let me know. Mr. Destler is in the music room. It is the third door on the left after the stairs."

"Thank you." Christine said. She walked up the stairs, pausing to look at a picture that looked very familiar. It was the senior prom picture from when she was with Erik. She looked it, wondering where her copy was. It was probably still in the box that she had on her bed.

Continuing, she went down the hall to the third door. She knocked.

"Come in." Erik said from the other side of the door. She entered. It was a magnificent room, filled with different instruments. Posters from operas and musicals adorned the walls, as well as oil paintings. Christine moved to the center of the room, where the most light form a large window. A black music stand stood there, it was perfect for her height. The sun was getting low in the sky, the days were shorter. There was a piano, and the stand light was on. A page was turned, and Christine noticed that someone was indeed sitting at the piano, the stand light only showed a rough outline of a face. It was too dark in that part of the room; the curtain was drawn so there would be no light by the piano.

"We will start with warm-ups." Erik played a scale and Christine opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry, I've never done this before." She admitted.

"Listen." Erik played the scale, and his voice matched it. It gave Christine chills as it soared up and then down again.

"Your turn. I shall do it with you." He played the scale again, this time Christine joined. To Christine, their voices matched perfectly. She gained more confidence and as Erik played the different scales, she was able to do it on her own. He led her through several of these warm-ups. Though she was feeling better about it, she still felt as though he was watching her, scrutinizing her every move.

"Do not sing through your nose." He said, "try again." He led her through it, showing her the difference of the improper way of singing and the correct way.

After what seemed like a half an hour, he stopped playing scales.

"May I turn on the light?" she asked.

"No. There is a stand light." The reply was cold. Christine bit back a retort, realizing he did not want her to know. Well, maybe he did. She would wait. She turned on the stand light.

"There is a song on your stand." Erik said. "Please look at it."

"With One Look?" Christine looked at it.

"Yes." There was a rustle of papers being shifted. "From the top."

So she sang. It was an odd song, about a woman coming back from somewhere. She appreciated it though, it wasn't too difficult for her. When they took a break, Christine seized the opportunity.

"Did you write it?" she asked.

"No. I have other songs that I have written which you can sing." He said. Erik didn't seem to want to talk.

"Should I call you Mr. Destler?" She asked.

"If it pleases you."

"I'd prefer to call you by your real name."

"The trouble is, you don't know it." She didn't reply. "Again."

So Christine continued to work. It wasn't until Christine's stomach began to complain for food that Erik stopped again.

"Is it time already?" he said, amused. "I believe I have kept you far too long. Do you have any questions before we wrap up?"

"Yes." Christine felt the irritation of Erik's coldness toward her rise up. "Why won't you let me see you?"

"You have seen me."

"No, you're always in the shadows, and you were wearing a mask."

"Some things don't change." Christine never really had a temper, but this was just infuriating. Erik was messing with her, and she didn't appreciate it.

"I know who you are Erik." She said loudly. There was a plunk of the piano, as if he had dropped his hand on it. "I knew when you gave me the rose."

"So you remember." He said quietly.

"Now may I see you?" The piano bench scrapped back, and the shuffle of feet moved around it. From the illuminated window, Erik stepped out from behind the shadowed piano.

"You're still wearing a mask." Christine said dumbly.

"Some things don't change."

"You didn't used to."

"People change over time." Erik was quiet. "Now that you've seen me, I suppose it is only polite to ask you if you would like to have dinner with my friend and I."

Christine hesitated. If she said yes, she would be intruding. If she said no, she would be being rude.

"Uh…"

"I assure you, you will not be disturbing anything. My friend is here for a…extended period of time. I will be having dinner with him for quite a while."

"Ok." Erik nodded and walked toward the door.

"Come."

Dinner was a bit of an awkward affair. The man who had shown Christine in turned out to be Nadir, Erik's friend. He tried to keep the conversation light and happy. Erik was very quiet, as if he was thinking. Or brooding.

After they had eaten, Erik showed Christine out.

"Same time Miss Daae?" he asked her. She felt a little uncomftorable.

"Can you call me Christine?"

"No. You are my student; therefore you require the utmost respect of a student-teacher relationship." She nodded. "Perhaps after, when you've completed your audition, we can be friends."

She left. There was nothing more to say. He didn't want to know her anymore did he? Then again, why did he ask if she wanted lessons. Erik was a good teacher, that much was true. But he was so…cold. Christine decided she would find out, as she walked down the street, wrapping her coat around her tightly. She would find out what was wrong with him.

"No? You said no? Do you even care about her? You've gone to all these lengths to have her find out who you are, but you don't want her to get any closer than a music student? What the hell?" Nadir went on a tirade after Erik had shut the door.

"Shut up."  
"Erik, you have been my friend for a very, very long time, but honestly. I know you love this girl. You have your prom picture on the wall. Gerard says that you wake up sometimes saying her name. For God sake's man, you went to a party just to dance with her! You are giving her lessons for the show that YOU wrote. I've seen some of the compositions, they're exclusively for her voice! I may not be a genius like you, but I know her voice is unique. Is this part of your plan or something? Erik this is insane. She still cares about you, or she wouldn't have come! If you continue to be cold towards her and push her away, she'll stop caring! I know you have many secrets that you'd rather keep hidden, but she has baggage too. You can see it in her eyes, the way she moves! You can't expect her to not have it, it was 9 years ago, she is an attractive woman. You had a chance with her before, obviously someone saw fit that you get another. Don't blow it like this Erik! She's worth more than that!"

Whether he liked it or not, Nadir was right. It was his fear that was getting in his way, he decided after he had left Nadir and went to the shower. He had loved Christine like no other woman in his life. He had held onto her memory for years.

But how could he let her in? She would have to know everything. She had wanted to know what had happened to his face. Why he had to wear the mask now. The mask represented his secrets to him. There wasn't much Erik could do to not think about his mask. That was who he was now, unlike when he was dating Christine.

She deserved better, he knew. He would try and be warmer. He didn't want to lose his chance with her again.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! I hope this chapter didn't come below your expectations. I'll update soon, hopefully by Thursday!**

**AOD**


	7. Their Feelings for Them

_"I love you Erik." Christine said, rolling onto her side to look at him. He opened his eyes and whispered the three words to her. Christine smiled and kissed his neck. _

_"Promise me something." She said to him. He looked at her._

_"Anything, my love." _

_"Think of me." She said seriously, inching over to him and put her hands on his arms, looking down at him. _

_"When we've said goodbye?" he asked her. She nodded. _

_"Imagine me." She said, "Know that when I wake up, I'm waking up silent and resigned. I want you to think that while I'm away from you, I will be trying so hard to put you from my mind." _

_"Christine…of course." He replied putting his hands on her face and kissing her. "When flowers fade, I'll still be thinking of you. I don't think I'm ever going to want to sleep without you by my side." Her eyes turned sad. _

_"Erik…we have our whole lives ahead of us. I'm not asking you to promise yourself to me." He frowned and put a finger to her mouth. _

_"I will love you forever." He promised. _

_"Don't say that Erik. We promised never to say that to each other." He shook his head. _

_"I promise." With that he rolled on top of her and kissed her, his face set in a serious, almost child-like stubborness. "I promise Christine." _

"Christine!" She jerked out of her daydream.

"Wha-?" she said dumbly. It was December. About a month and a half had passed since her first lesson, but Erik was still cold and acted as only a music teacher. He was commanding, and insisted perfection from her.

"Pay attention to Mr. Firmin!" Meg whispered and poked her from her thoughts again.

"-it is important to welcome our newest cast member at such a late notice! As you all know, Lucy has quit and so we had to find a new leading lady. May I introduce Carlotta Guidicelli!"

A handsome woman swept forth, already in costume. She bowed and laughed throatily.

"Thank you Mr. Firmin! I am so pleased to be here!" She waved her arm dramatically and smiled broadly. The cast clapped.

"And now, back to work!" Mr. Andre called out from the audience. "We've a show to do; there is much to be done!" It was true, the show opened at the end of December, they had much to do.

But Christine's mind still wandered back to Erik. She was falling in love again with him wasn't she? She had sworn to never love another man again, yet…there she was, thinking about Erik. He was still irresistible, even with that mask. The mask almost made him more mysterious, more sexy. She smiled as she thought of Erik as sexy. It was more of a Meg or Angel word.

"Watch out you bitch!" A voice hissed at her. Christine pulled out of her thoughts again. Carlotta stood there with an angry look on her face. "Can't you see I'm supposed to walk here?"

"I-I'm sorry." Christine stammered, her face growing red. The other actors had stopped and were staring.

"Just stay out of my way!" Christine looked down, feeling ashamed and embarrassed.

"Back to work!" Mr. Firmin yelled.

"What a little bitch." Meg whispered as they gathered back into their cluster for the beginning of the scene. "She's been here about 10 minutes and already acting like a prima donna."

"It doesn't matter." Christine said. It was true though, this Carlotta had shown she was a very nasty woman. Though she was very attractive, the makeup covering her face still made it painfully obvious she was quite old. Unlike Christine or Meg, this woman was in her late 30s or early 40s. "She's probably just nervous."  
"Right." Angel said sarcastically as she danced by. "Look at me, I'm a fairy princess!" Meg laughed and Christine rolled her eyes. They always made her feel better. She still hadn't told them about Erik. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about Erik. Christine was quite sure that it would scar her friends if they knew she was not as innocent as they thought. And Erik himself might not be too happy if his identity was revealed. But since they were going out to eat that night, she might as well tell them what she could, even though Erik's identity was so buried in there that she wasn't sure if she could tell the tale without it involving the connection between Erik and Mr. Destler.

"Christine!" Meg jabbed her. "Move!" Christine had wandered off again. If she wasn't careful it was going to get her fired.

After rehearsal, Meg and Angel scolded her.

"What was with you Christine?" Meg said, "you were totally out to lunch all of rehearsal!"

"Oh my God, her music lessons! She's probably thinking about hot Mr. Destler!" Angel teased as they made their way to the restaurant, almost running in the rain. "How was he?"

"Do you two only think about sex?" Christine asked, rolling her eyes.

"Technically," Meg said as they sat down at their table. "we don't. See, Angel has been dating Tom since freshman year in college…I don't sleep with every guy I see so…"

"You're sleeping with Christian right?" Christine said.

"Yeah, but I feel a very big emotional connection." Meg said matter-of-factly.

"We're just hopeless romantics." Angel said. "And I'm not going out with Tom anymore."

"WHAT?" Christine and Meg screamed. Other people turned and stared. They leaned in towards Angel.

"Yeah. I was tired of waiting around for him." She said. "I want a commitment, I mean, it's been…7 years. I love him, but I can't wait forever." She shrugged. "Besides, we're here to talk about your music lessons!"

"She's so right." Meg said. "Spill."

Christine told them what she could. They were a bit disappointed.

"Aw…Christine is still so innocent. Sweet innocence though." Angel said as she at her salad.

"Guys…"Christine said. She had never told her friends what had happened with Erik.

"Come on, you're such a prude." Meg said, twirling her fork around her spaghetti. "Be more free about your men!" Christine could only sigh and eat her chicken.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Christine got home that night, she just sat down. She needed to focus. All she thought about was Erik. They had continued to have lessons, he had increased the times per week. It was drawing near to auditions, he had told her. He expected perfection from her.

But he had changed too. He was not as cold. At the beginning of the month, he had moved the piano out of the shadows. It was nice to watch him play, she thought so at least. He had such intensity. Erik had even touched her. He had put his hand on her diaphragm, testing to see if she was using it. The other hand, she remembered had been on the small of her back, ensuring she was standing up straight. How it had burned when he touched her.

Christine was certain that he didn't feel the same way. He had given no indication. She was a thing of the past, now she was just his music student. Erik was very clever, and had used it to enable her to live her dream. She was sure of it. So why was she acting this way?

Erik had allowed her to call him by his first name. He still switched between "Miss Daae" and "Christine". She yawned. Next time, she would find out.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I blame global warming for this rain." Christine muttered as she trudged her way to Erik's hous

"I take it that it snows usually this time of year?" Nadir asked. He had taken to picking Christine up at the theater and walking her to Erik's house.

"Yeah. I really like it here because it's a white Christmas."

"Ah yes, that holiday is coming up isn't it?" Nadir said.

"Erik doesn't celebrate Christmas does he?" Christine asked.

"He does, just not like a typical person. He did when I met him, but stopped after a while."

"When we were in high school, he made such a big deal about it. It was so cute." Christine said affectionately. Nadir shifted his eyes to her.

"If I may be so bold to say, you seem to still value Erik as more of a lover than a friend." Nadir pointed out.

"I-I well. It doesn't matter." Christine said shortly. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Christine made a silent decision.

"Good evening Mr. Khan, Miss Daae." Gerard the butler said as they walked in the door and took off their coats. "He is waiting for you."

"Thank you." she said, and began the all too familiar route to the music room. This time, she took the time to look at the pictures on the wall. One particular one caught her eye. It was her prom picture, the year she went with Erik. She hadn't noticed before, but it sure would have given her a huge hint that he was Erik, rather than someone she didn't know. It also gave her hope. If he still had her prom picture, then maybe he still loved her. But then again, he did look very nice; his handsome face seemed to glow with happiness. That was when he didn't wear a mask.

"Hello." He said to her, causing her to look up.

"Oh! Hi!" Christine said, looking up. "I was just looking at…our prom picture."

"You were very beautiful that night." Erik said, a tender expression on his face as he recalled it. "It seems like yesterday."

"You looked good too. You in a tuxedo, remember? I told you that I wished you wore them all the time." Christine said. "I loved seeing you dressed up, it made you look so handsome and, well, I can't describe it…"She trailed off, hoping she hadn't crossed the line.

"Come. We must return to our music." He said, and held out a hand to her. She took it, feeling the sudden rush of heat between their hands. She blushed, but allowed him to lead her to the music room.

"Warm-ups." He simply said as he sat down at the piano.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erik felt very stupid. This was not a normal occurrence for him, but he still felt stupid. He had forgotten to take down the picture. If she had figured out the rose, perhaps she could figure out that he still nursed a soft spot for her. He looked at her, observing how much she had improved since he had begun giving her lessons. She had a true gift, he could only hope that it was not at its end. He believed that she had a fountain of talent, it was yet untapped.

Still, it was something he should tell her. More than anything, he wanted to. But he was afraid she wouldn't feel the same way. She seemed to want to be friends, the way she moved, the way she acted. Maybe he was just over analyzing it…He brushed it aside and looked at her. She was watching him, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Of course." He said. "I'm just tired." She nodded.

"I know what you mean. My rehearsals have been crazy." It was his turn to nod.

"Erik?" She said. He looked at her.

"Well, Christmas is coming up…and I was wondering…well Nadir told me…"She stuttered. "I was wondering if you and him would care to go out with myself and my friends that night." She finished, rather quickly.

He was silent.

"I cannot go out that evening, I have other plans." He said. She looked a bit disappointed. "But if you would like to come over that evening, Nadir and I would be happy to entertain you. I am sure that Gerard will love to see you as well, he seems quite taken with you." Christine brightened at the prospect.

"Ok!"

"Shall we do a song?" Christine bounced enthusiastically.

"May we do a Christmas one?" she asked, "in the spirit of the holiday?"

"If you wish. I believe I placed O Holy Night on your stand." Erik said, very much amused. In that slightly childish way, she had not changed.

"You remembered!" She cried. "Father used to play this song on the violin…you would play the piano and sing. And I would dance…" her voice trailed off. A look of sadness passed to her eyes.

"If it makes you too sad, we do not have to do it." Erik said to her. He didn't want to make her sad.

"No, no its ok." She said.

"Then let us begin." And Erik began to play. He closed his eyes as she began to sing, the notes seemed to float above her. Erik was sure that if Nadir walked by the room, he would smile at knowing his friend's holiday spirit was finally back.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**So here it is! the next installment of Time To Say Goodbye. It's sort of a filler, but i hope people are getting more of a feel for the way i portray Christine and Erik and everyone else. **

**Next chapter should be up soon! please review!**

**AOD**


	8. Think of Me at Christmas

"Aw, Christine, doya have to go?" Meg asked as she pulled her hat up to look at her friend.

"Yes. I promised Mr. Destler and his friend I would spend a little time with them." Christine said. "I don't want to be all partied out!" It was Christmas Eve, and Christine had chosen to spend it with her friends. They had all exchanged gifts, sung Christmas carols, and drunk the customary eggnog. Christine had agreed to go over to Erik's house on Christmas Day, after she went to Church and paid respects to her father. It would be a nice, quiet way to spend Christmas.

"Fine. Leave us!" Angel said dramatically, holding onto Sorelli for support. She had probably drunk a little too much eggnog. Christine smiled, but inside, she was worried about her friend. Angel had begun to drink more now that she was not going out with Tom. Christine and Meg both agreed that Angel really did love Tom, but would refuse to admit it. They had not seen Tom; he was not an actor, but rather a professor of Technology at a nearby university. Sorelli had spied him a few weeks ago and had reported he was miserable. Angel had just sniffed and poured herself a glass of very strong liquor.

"Bye guys." Christine said and left Angel's apartment. She did not have very long to walk, Angel's apartment was not far from hers. The cold air bit her cheeks as she huddled close to herself and walked. If she didn't freeze to death, she would be quite happy to go home to a nice cup of tea, hot bath and a warm bed. She had all her gifts ready for the three men (she had included Gerard) and they were in a bag, ready to go.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Erik, why do you love Christmas so much?" Christine asked as she watched Erik open a gift. _

_"I do not know. Because I get to spend it with you?" He said playfully, opening the box. _

_"Someday Erik, we'll be sitting here opening gifts with our kids." Christine said. "Wouldn't that be fun?" Erik nodded as he pulled out a black scarf. _

_"This is wonderful! Did you make it?" _

_"Yes, it was so hard!" Christine widened her brown eyes and made herself look like a child. Erik smiled and kissed her. _

_"Open yours." So she did. Inside was a beautiful set of a black scarf, hat, and gloves." She put them on, even though she would get hot very quickly._

_"How do I look?" _

_"Beautiful as always." Erik said, his handsome face shining with delight. Christine laughed and thanked him. _

_"I'll wear this whenever I'm around you. And probably more than that." Christine promised, taking them off. _

_"I know you will my love." Erik said. "I know you will."_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

When Christine arrived at Erik's house around noon the next day, the house looked completely different. Rather than looking so very dark and lonely, it had a very cheerful vibe to it. There was a wreath on the door and ornaments strung up. She couldn't figure out how Erik and friends had managed to do that, since it had begun to snow the week before. Piles of the white stuff was all over the lawn, the granite path carefully shoveled. There wasn't a snowflake out of place.

"We meet again at the gate." Nadir said from behind Christine. She jumped, just like before and laughed.

"Merry Christmas." She greeted. "Do you celebrate it?" she asked as an afterthought.

"Not religiously, but I like the idea of giving people meaningless things." Nadir said, holding a bag up. "I had to keep it away from Gerard, lest he throw away my gifts." They walked up the path and opened the door.

"I have brought Miss Daae!" Nadir said. Christine began to take off her things. Erik came down the stairs and smiled slightly.

"Merry Christmas Christine." He said. "Come into the living room, we set up the tree and whatnot there."

"It's beautiful!" Christine exclaimed as they walked into the room. The room itself was very handsome, the tree next to the fireplace completed the look. Gerard was standing beside the tree, an elf hat perched on his head. Christine couldn't tell if he was happy it was there or not.

"Merry Christmas Miss Daae." He said, and took the bag containing her gifts. Nadir handed Gerard his as well, and Gerard put them under the tree. "May I offer you some eggnog?" Gerard asked the room at large.

"Of course." Erik said. Christine and Nadir nodded in agreement. Erik motioned for the two to sit down, and sat himself down in an armchair. They made small talk(no easy feat for someone as serious as Erik) while Gerard went to fetch the drinks. Erik allowed him to stay with them and open gifts.

"Miss Daae, thank you very much." Gerard had said pleasantly when he opened a pair of G shaped cufflinks. Christine had spied them at the mall and decided they were perfect for Gerard.

"You're welcome! Nadir, thank you for this scarf!" Christine said as she tried the red silk scarf on. "It's lovely!" In turn, Nadir thanked Christine for the gloves she had provided him, he was always complaining of the cold.

"May I open yours Christine?" Erik asked. Christine wrestled it from under the tree and handed it to him. Wordlessly, Erik unwrapped the bright red and green paper and opened the box. Inside, Christine had placed a music box. It was an extraordinary music box at that.

She knew that Nadir and Erik had met in the Middle East, so she had found a music box which played a mysterious tune. The owner of the shop had no idea what song it was, but atop it, was a Persian monkey. The monkey beat together a pair of cymbals in time with the tune. A tiny ruby was placed in the center of the monkey's turban, and Erik ran his finger along it.

"It's magnificent Christine. Where did you find it?" He asked softly. Erik was clearly intrigued by the music box, he was examining it closely.

"If I told you, my secret shopping place wouldn't be just for me anymore." Christine replied. It was polite enough. A smirk crossed Erik's lips.

"Please open mine." He said as he continued to study the monkey. Gerard looked under the tree and withdrew a small package wrapped in gold paper.

"I love that paper!" Christine said, taking it from Gerard with a nod of thanks. She carefully got the red ribbon off of the thin package. Inside was a black folder, one of the professional ones that were used in concerts. It had 'Christine Daae' in gold lettering. Christine opened it, and found music in it. A note was attached with a paper clip.

"For an angel." Christine read aloud, blushing. "Erik, it's beautiful. Thank you." She got up and hugged him. He stiffened, unsure what to do, then put an arm around her and patted her back.

"Would you like to try the piece out?" He asked her. She brightened up some more, and nodded. He indicated to the piano. She set the folder on the music stand next to the piano and stood there. Nadir and Gerard sat on the couch that faced the piano. Gerard poured some wine for Nadir, and himself.

"Ready Christine?" Erik asked. She nodded, feeling a little uneasy. "Don't worry," He said, sensing it. "You know this song."  
He played the opening notes, and she sang.

"Think of me  
think of me fondly,  
when we've said goodbye.  
Remember me  
once in a while -  
please promise me

you'll try

When you find  
that, once  
again, you long  
to take your heart back  
and be free -  
if you  
ever find  
a moment,  
spare a thought  
for me

We never said  
our love  
was evergreen,  
or as unchanging  
as the sea -  
but if  
you can still  
remember  
stop and think  
of me . . .

Think of all the things  
we've shared and seen -  
don't think about the things  
which might have been . . .

Think of me,  
think of me waking,  
silent and  
resigned.

Imagine me,  
trying too hard  
to put you  
from my mind.

Recall those days  
look back  
on all those times,  
think of the things  
we'll never do -  
there will  
never be  
a day, when  
I won't think  
of you . .

We never said  
our love  
was evergreen,  
or as unchanging  
as the sea -  
but please  
promise me,  
that sometimes  
you will think of me!"

Nadir and Gerard stood up and applauded.  
"Beautiful! Magnificent!" They yelled. Christine smiled and looked at Erik. He smiled at her and nodded. His eyes were shining. A look she had not seen in years stood out to her. His amazing eyes were showing love, pure and simple. She moved over to the piano and took his hand. He looked surprised.

"Come on you two!" Nadir said as he came over and set a huge book of Christmas carols on the piano." I want to sing these things!" Gerard wandered over as well.

"I would like to do so also, if you will permit Mr. Destler."

"Come Gerard, you may be my butler, but you are my friend as well." Erik said. Christine took her hand away quickly, though neither of the two men seemed to notice the tension that had been there.

"Shall we begin?" Erik said as he opened the book.

"Thank you for coming Christine." Erik said later than night as he walked her home. Nadir had pushed Erik out the door with Christine. Christine suspected that he knew something was going to happen. Erik had not made a fuss, most likely to be polite and had accepted the cold weather clothing that Gerard had thrown out the door with them. Christine had laughed as Erik grumbled about giving his butler too much wine.

"It was fun Erik. Thank you for the song. I had forgotten it." Christine said, clutching the folder.

"I hope you will take it to your audition." Erik said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"A-audition?" Christine stammered. She had forgotten. "Do I have to..? I'm perfectly happy doing the chorus!"

"Christine. I believe you can be better than that." Erik said. " The lead actress must have poise and grace, both of which you have."

"Stop Erik. You're embarrassing me." Erik blanched. He hadn't expected that. He was being honest.

"I am sorry. But it is my show, and I want you to be there under my direction. I work well with you." He said, a bit rushed.

"Maybe." Christine said. "It's just Carlotta is so much better. And the directors believe so as well. I don't know if I can do it."

"I have yet to hear Ms. Guidicelli, but I still stand by what I said." Erik said.

"How did you remember 'Think of me'?" Christine asked, slightly anxious to get onto another topic.

"You sang it for me before you moved. Well, I suppose it was really at the graduation ceremony. But I knew it was for me." Erik said. He thoroughly regretted saying that it was for him after he said it. Heat rushed to his face, and he hoped that it wasn't turning red. Erik felt like a high- schooler again.

"Yeah. I remember." Christine said. She didn't say whether or not she had sung it for him. They reached her apartment building.

"Erik, why do you wear that mask?" She asked. He had waited for her to ask this question.

"I cannot tell you. Maybe someday. I do not know." He said shortly. "Please, let us not ruin this Christmas night with unpleasantness."

"Sorry." Christine said. An awkward silence filled between them. Christine straightened up and looked at him.

"Erik…thank you." Christine said softly. "For everything. You've been so kind to me."

"I need not be thanked. I had just as much an enjoyable time as you did." He replied trying not to look at her. He was trying not to look at the windows of her soul and see what she felt for him. He felt her gloved hand against the side of his face that was unmasked.

"Look at me please." She said. "You've spent too much time trying to get me to notice you."

"W-what are you talking about?" he stammered. His stern nature was melting away. He still wasn't looking at him.

"The rose. The music lessons. The song." She said. She gently pushed his face to face hers. He looked at her brown eyes.

In that moment, time seemed to stop. Not just for the romantic value, but for the fact that it seemed like there was a feeling of reconnection. The reconnection of friends and the reconnection of understanding. There was nothing but them, Erik and Christine. Christine and Erik.

He didn't know what to do. Before, he would have swept her up and kissed her, but now he wasn't sure if he could do it. She decided for him.

Christine's lips were the same as they had been so many years ago. Soft and wonderful, emotions raged in him. Happiness because she felt the same way. Relief that she knew how he felt. Anger that he had delayed it for those longs months. Worry because she was his voice student, he was to be her director. Fright for the never forgotten fear of being left again. And the despair that he knew he couldn't be involved just yet.

He let it last for those seconds as he sorted through his emotions. He drew away and took Christine's hand off his face. What could he do?

"Christine…" He said, regaining his composure. She looked up at him, question in her eyes.

"I-I, well thank you again. Merry Christmas. Uh…"Apparently, he hadn't regained his composure. He tried again. "I well…"

"Erik. It's ok. I understand."  
"You do?" he was confused.

"Yeah." She turned toward her building. "Merry Christmas and goodnight." Before she opened the door, she paused.

"And Erik?"  
"Yes?" Would she explain?

"I did sing it for you."

Erik was left in the snow and cold. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but he was sure it was one of the most awkward moments of his life. He gave one last look at the building and turned and walked home, feeling slightly dejected.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Sorry i was a bit tardy with this chapter. I've been so busy, college apps you know. I hope you don't find it too fluffy, i didn't particularly like the way i did it, but it works well enough so i figured i would quit messing with it beforeit turned into a horrible mess. **

**Review please!**

**AOD**


	9. Confusion

Christine felt stupid. She had kissed Erik and he had rejected her. There was nothing more embarrassing, she was sure. She gladly spent the next few days in seclusion, not returning her friend's calls. They had all tried, Angel, Meg, Sorelli, even Christian. It wasn't until the day before New Year's Eve that they all barged into her apartment.

"You. Will. Go. Out." Meg commanded.

"Or else." Sorelli echoed.

"Yeah." Angel said. Christian held up his car keys.

"I'll drive." He said. He looked like he didn't really want to be there.

"You guys…I don't want to go anywhere. I'm fine. Really." Christine said feeling quite pressured.

"No, you must." Sorelli insisted. "We miss you."

"What happened Christmas anyway?" Meg asked.

"I'm making tea." Angel announced. "Do you have any food?"

"No, I haven't been out shopping." Christine said. She had eaten lots of instant macaroni the last few days.

"Go to the store Christian." Meg said. "We need girl time." Christian mumbled and headed out the door.

"What happened honey?" Angel asked from the kitchen. Christine began to tell them what happened. She told them everything, about Mr. Destler's real identity, the past that she had wondered if she should forget, and the most recent happenings. When she got to the kiss, she started to cry.

"Oh honey…"Angel said. She handed Christine a mug of tea. "Drink." Sorelli put a box of tissues on the coffee table before them.

"Christine, don't worry." Meg hugged her. "He kissed you back didn't he?"

"F-for about, about five seconds." Christine said. "Why am I so upset?" she asked the girls.

"Because you still love him." Meg said simply. "That's all there is to it."

"I can't!" Christine wailed. "He's my voice teacher and he's directing the show!"

"Christine don't you get it?" Meg said. Christine stopped sniffling and stared at her. "He never stopped loving you!"

"Yeah, he gave you the rose as a sign. The beautiful song that he wrote for you, and you ended up singing for his graduation. What about giving you music lessons on a whim?" Sorelli put in.

"And the prom picture?" Angel said incredulously. "Can it be any clearer?" Christine shook her head furiously, her curly hair whipping around her face.

"The rose was just a nice gesture. The song was written when he actually did care for me, and I sang it because the principal walked in the music room when he and I were practicing it for an audition. And the prom picture…it was before he wore that mask." Christine made the excuses, but she felt like they were very lame. Apparently the other girls thought so too.

"No!" They all said very loudly.

"You're a smart woman Christine." Meg said. "I've known you since we were kids and I know you still care about Erik. The only other guy you dated was Raoul."

"He loves you too. Even after all these years." Sorelli said. "I think he's had a hard life since you left him."

"But I didn't want to leave him!" Christine wailed. "I had to go!"

"What?" Angel and Sorelli were a bit confused.

"My father died." Christine said bitterly. "He…no… the doctors promised he would live long enough to see me graduate." She began to cry again.

"She came to live with me after her father died." Meg said quietly, patting her friend on the back.

"H-he wasn't supposed to die!" Christine said, she was having a complete melt down. "He promised he would stay alive! He and Erik were all I had in that stupid town!"

"My mom and I had moved at the beginning of high school for my mom's job." Meg explained. "Otherwise we would've been there too."

"Erik and I were going to tell my father we wanted to get married." Christine said quietly. "We were planning on telling him the day he died."

"How did he die honey?" Angel asked tentatively.

"It doesn't matter. He died so suddenly." Christine said dismissively. "The last night before I left, Erik asked me to sleep with him."

"Oh my god." The three other girls breathed.

"I said yes. God, I loved him so much." Christine said, tears beginning to fall again. It was as if all the tears she had held for Erik and her father's death seemed to come out now.

"You still do." Angel said to her, taking her hand and squeezing it. Christine looked at her.

"How can you tell?" She asked her friend. Angel smiled.

"The look in your eyes. Like all the world is good, everything is right. You look so tender." Angel said to her. "Like the way I feel about Tom." She added as an afterthought.

"Will you go back to Tom?" Meg asked, getting sidetrack. Angel gave her a look.

"That's gossip. This is about Christine's long lost love."

"Oh…it's so romantic." Sorelli sighed.

"I think he still loves you." Meg said matter-of-factly. "You should go and find out if he does."

Christine said nothing. But the idea was appealing.

"Just think about it." Sorelli said to her. The three girls hugged their friend and they sat in silence for a while. Christian eventually came back and Angel cooked a meal for them. Christine finally felt hungry and ate quite hardily.

The rest of the day passed quickly. The girls had brought board games and they spent the day playing an assortment of games such as Cranium and Life. It was a good day. They made plans to go to Sorelli's house (she actually had a house) for New Year's Eve to welcome the New Year. After everyone had left, Christine took a shower and sat in bed, thinking about what her friends had told her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erik banged the piano keys. He was mad. More or less the obvious, he supposed. Nadir and Gerard had mysteriously disappeared to someplace in the house. Erik suspected that they wouldn't come out until they stopped hearing various instruments banging about. Gerard would have to if he called him, he knew, but Erik wouldn't subject his butler (and friend) to that.

He was confused, something that rarely happened to him. Erik was always at the top of his game, he felt he usually had the upper hand. A little cocky, he knew, but Erik was highly intelligent. Though during high school he had been a very quiet young man, he graduated second in his class. He wasn't terribly social, but that didn't matter right now. He was confused about Christine. One of the few romantic women in his life. She was nothing like he had ever known, and he had known her as a teenager, not as a man. Well, almost a man.

He loved her. He knew it; she probably knew it by now. If she didn't, he really was going to question what had happened to her during the years she hadn't seen him. How could she not know, after he kissed her, or allowed her to kiss him?

Actually, as he thought about it, she kissed him. Hope flickered in him that maybe it meant she loved him. Or she had a crush on him…or anything. He was uncertain, which was also rare for him. Uncertainty and confusion were not emotions he was used to feeling, not Erik Destler.

But he still didn't know what to do. He wanted to act, but he just couldn't. Christine was his voice student; he was going to be director in his show. God, he loved her though. He never stopped, not after the first time he said he loved her and definitely not after they spent their first and last night together. Erik had never forgotten. He realized it made him seem a bit creepy and obsessive, but he never knew how to let go of his first love. Erik rarely indulged in physiological intricacies.

But what to do? This could be his one chance, he didn't want to blow it.

The phone rang, but he ignored it. He began to play a song from his musical instead. Gerard would answer it, and then be forced to come and talk to him. Erik felt like a cup of tea anyway.

Sure enough, a knock came to the door. When Erik bade Gerard to come in, he came in, cautiously.

"The phone Sir." He said, placing it on the piano. Erik asked for a much needed cup of tea and Gerard nodded and left.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Destler?" A female voice asked. There was a lot of static and the sound of other people in the background.

"Yes." He said. He hated telemarketers. "I do not have much time." He added as there was a pause.

"This is Meg Giry." The girl said. "I'm Christine's friend. Oh, and you're on speaker phone by the way."

"Did Miss Daae ask you to call me?" Erik asked.

"No, but being her best friend and being a horrible busybody, I wanted to call you." Meg replied simply. "So did Christine's other friends."

"Hey." Two other women greeted him.

"Might I inquire who I am speaking to?" Erik's voice was soft. He did not like this intrusion; it put his guard back up.

"Angel DuMonte."

"Sorelli Valli." The sweeter voice was Sorelli's. Erik made a mental note.

"So you are calling me on Miss Daae's presumed behalf?" He asked the trio.

"Yes. And you need to talk to her." Meg said.

"I do not have anything to say." Erik lied. He didn't feel like pouring out this…whatever it was…to three unknown girls.

"Yeah you do." The less sweet voice, Angel's voice, responded to him.

"And what is it you think I would need to say?" He asked quietly.

"Oh drop the dangerous tough guy attitude." Angel snapped at him. "If you think that'll make us back down, think again. I grew up in the inner city."

"She's confused about how she feels about you. You still love her. So take a chance!" Angel continued as Erik began to speak. She was an interesting woman, Erik decided.

"So, what is your point Miss DuMonte?" Erik asked, perhaps a bit icily. He didn't mean it like that, but he was a bit annoyed that these girls took it upon themselves to try and convince him to talk to Christine.

It went rather awkwardly from there. Erik was quiet, which frustrated all the girls in turn. Angel tried to muscle her way into him telling her, Sorelli begged him, and Meg just tried to be nice about it. But the fact was, Erik wouldn't talk, and they got mad. Erik compared them to the high school cheerleaders he had once known. He felt a bit bad, since they were Christine's friends.

After Erik had finally gotten off the phone with the girls, he banged his head on the piano. The sound vibrated around the music room, exactly like the thoughts that were bouncing around in his head. Someone came in, but Erik didn't bother to see who it was.

"You know, I completely agree with the women." Nadir said behind him. Erik groaned, but didn't bother to face him. "You love her Erik, at least admit it."  
"I admire her." Erik said stubbornly.  
"If you can't admit it to me, then you can't admit it to anyone, even yourself." Nadir probed him.

"You can't prove I do." Erik said.

"You give her music lessons, remind her of times gone by(ones that you still cling to I might add), and you have written the lead in your show for her." Nadir listed, "And might I add you still have her prom picture on your wall?"

"How did you know the part was for her?" Erik asked his cunning friend.

"I am not as musically inept as you think. I've listened to her sing and listened to you create the role. Christine would be the most likely choice." Nadir told him "Besides which, you tend to write music from your heart. And your heart is clearly showing you that Christine is important and you feel for her. Oh, by the way, here's your tea."

Erik took it and sipped it.

"Am I really that transparent?" He asked wryly.

"No. I've just known you for a long time."

They continued to talk, though Erik avoided saying he loved Christine. But he had the feeling Nadir knew that he had confirmed it within himself. After Nadir had gone, Erik knew what he wanted to do. And he knew it was because of the meddlesome women and his best friend. But it was a plan nonetheless.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Another filler, sorry folks! **

**So I wanted to get public opinion on this one. Do you feel this is a M or T rating?**

**Enjoy!**

**AOD**


	10. Erik's Plan

Erik left a message on Christine's machine to resume her voice lessons after closing night of Hannibal. Christine was a little worried about going back. She didn't want to feel any awkwardness between herself and Erik. But Erik had sort of commanded her return, and she felt an odd pull to go.

Christine was glad when the show closed. Though it meant that one of the most important auditions of her career was coming up, there was quite a long break until the rehearsals for Erik's show began. She hadn't thought much about it, but she realized she knew very little about his show. Only that he had written it, and, based on his previous works, it was probably going to be a bit dark.

The Monday after closing night, she found herself trudging up his walk in her snow clothes, as it had snowed again the night before. Nadir had not been at her apartment to walk her to Erik's, but she suspected he was avoiding it because he knew what had happened between them. Nadir was a very clever man, rarely did anything seem to escape him. He wasn't as brilliant as Erik, but he knew how to listen and watch.

Gerard let her in, as always. She went up the stairs, as always. She opened the door to the music room, and as always, there was a stand in the room, and the stand light in the piano was on. Everything was normal.

Christine didn't know whether to be happy or heartbroken. She was happy that their relationship was not ruined, but at the same time, she was heartbroken. He didn't feel the same way. No matter what her gut told her or what her friends told her. They were wrong.

"Shall we begin?" Erik asked her. She smiled a small smile and nodded. They began the usual warmups, though this time, Erik didn't demand as much from her as usual. She didn't have to go as high. Rather, he took her lower than she had gone before.

"I picked a special song for you." he said quietly. "It's a duet." Christine opened the folder he had given her for Christmas, and her heart seemed to stop.

"Can you sight read it?" He asked her. There was something tense about him. It felt like he was testing her.

"I don't need to." She whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't need to." She said louder. She felt mortified.

"Let's begin."

Erik began to play the opening. It was meant for the piano, if he remembered correctly. He tried to block the old memories, and let this one be new.

Erik waited for Christine to sing. He stopped and looked at her.

"Sing." He commanded.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I-it's that song…" She said, her voice trailed off.

"Yes it is." Erik said. "And I want you to sing it. " He felt sort of bad, for making her sing this song. But it was part of his plan, he had counted on her not singing it.

"Sing it." He repeated. "I have something I need to talk to you about." Erik was never good at making romantic speeches, or saying how he felt. That was why he needed music.

"Again." He said. He paused slightly to adjust himself. This time when he played the intro, he looked at Christine and slowed so she would be ready to sing.

And so she began.

_Kiss me too fiercely  
Hold me too tight  
I need help believing  
You're with me tonight  
My wildest dreamings  
Could not foresee  
Lying beside you  
With you wanting me _

And just for this moment  
As long as you're mine  
I've lost all resistance  
And crossed some borderline  
And if it turns out  
It's over too fast  
I'll make ev'ry last moment last  
As long as you're mine  


Christine took a breath and Eric responded to her.

_Maybe I'm brainless  
Maybe I'm wise  
But you've got me seeing  
Through different eyes  
Somehow I've fallen  
Under your spell  
And somehow I'm feeling  
It's "up" that I fell_

They began to sing together, their voices rising to the words.

_Every moment  
As long as you're mine  
I'll wake up my body  
And make up for lost time_

Eric didn't like the next part he had to sing, but sang it anyway, knowing that this time, it may be true.

_Say there's no future  
For us as a pair_

They came together for the final verse, and Christine looked at him.

_And though I may know  
I don't care!  
Just for this moment  
As long as you're mine  
Come be how you want to  
And see how bright we shine  
Borrow the moonlight  
Until it is through  
And know I'll be here holding you  
As long as you're mine_

Erik let the chord ring out, their voices died away and Erik looked at Christine. She was staring at him.

"Christine…Christine…" He sang softly. There was silence between them. It

wasn't awkward, it was just silence. Neither of them knew what to say now. Erik had said what he wanted.

That was the thing about Erik. Because he didn't feel comfortable, or just plain couldn't say his feelings outright, he used music. And so he had picked out the song that Christine had chosen to be "their" song.

Erik stood up. It wasn't exactly a time for words. He moved to stand next to Christine, but found himself taking her in his arms instead.

"Erik…" She said softly. He just held her. She said no more, and he said no more. In that embrace, Christine understood all he had wanted to say. And she said all she wanted to say by laying her head against his chest.

Christine felt very complete now. She and Erik had finished the music lesson and she now was sitting in his living room. He sat next to her on the couch, staring at the fire that was burning. She noticed that Nadir and Gerard had made themselves scarce. Christine suspected that it was something the two men did quite often.

"Erik." She said. She had to get out what was nagging at the back of her mind.

"Yes?"

"Erik, as much as I well, love you" she paused as she let what she said sink in. " I'm afraid of doing anything."  
"Why?"  
"Because…you're my music teacher! And the director the show we're supposed to be putting on. It's unprofessional!" She burst out.

Erik said nothing. He seemed to be thinking.

"I know." He responded after a moment of watching the fire crackling. "I wish to be friends for a bit long Christine. We cannot break that boundry right now. I understand. I will admit I was afraid of this as well."

"But can we deny ourselves this?" Christine asked.

"I do not know." Erik said. "We did try before."  
"And how well did that go?" Christine asked, a bit sarcastically.

"You were…and still are…irresistible." Erik said, clearly amused. Christine playfully hit him, but resumed to being serious.

"We were younger then." Erik looked at her.

"But we are older and frankly, I doubt our feelings for each other have waned at all over the years." He said thoughtfully.

"Are you saying you felt the same way for years?" Christine asked incredulously. She didn't want to admit it, but here was Erik, the most guarded person she knew, almost admitting how he felt. Outright.

"You tell me." Well, he almost said it outright.

"Erik, please don't play games with me." Christine sighed. "I guess you'll do it anyway though won't you? It's in your nature.

You still do, I know that much. But my friends were right…you must love me just as much, if not more." Christine concluded, seeing if she would get a reaction. She was disappointed. Erik said nothing. She continued on.

"Well,I mean if you don't that'd make sense, I mean, its been years and this is just by chance that I'm meeting you know and-"

"Christine." He said. She stopped blabbering. "Spend one night with me. After, we will be friends until this show is over. Then…we can be together." It was Christine's turn to be silent.

"No." She replied.


	11. Choices

"I can't Erik." Christine said. He watched her. Damn, his mask felt very hot all of a sudden. Erik wasn't sure how to respond. It only reminded of a time so long ago…

_"Christine…" Erik watched her dress. _

_"Erik, please don't make this any harder than it already is." She said softly, her back to him. He watched her in the mirror. _

_"Can you just stay for another year? You could stay with me." He pleaded. "Christine, do not leave me. Please." He saw her wince at the sound of his voice, it sounded pitiful even to him. _

_"Erik I have to go. I can't stay her, not with Father dead and no one else to go to. Meg's mom is my guardian now." She said. _

_"But Christine…the ring! Your promise!" Erik sat up, remembering the jewelry he had given her. Christine stiffened at the mention of it. Erik was still watching her reflection from the bed. _

_She turned to him. In the morning light, he saw a look of pain he had never seen before. But it was almost as if he was expecting it. He looked down, unwilling to look at her pained face. _

_"Angel…" She whispered. He looked away from her. His own face now twisted with emotion he would have rather hidden. But he had never hidden anything from Christine. Until now. _

_She touched his hand. He pulled it away sharply. Anger rose in him, like a monster it seemed to consume him. Erik managed to hang on to his sanity as Christine took his hand and placed the ring he had given her in it. _

_"I'm sorry." Christine said. _

_"Go. Now." He said. She hesitated. "Go now! Leave me!" He yelled at her. She cried as she left, he didn't bother to look in her direction until he heard his door close. _

_And that was the last he would see of her. That day, he would not leave his room. Instead, he sat at his piano and played until the moon was shining through his window. _

He felt a shot of pain through his chest, so very near his heart. Was this what it was like to really have your heart broken? He finally told the woman he loved her and had been rejected. And not just politely, but flat out rejected.

Christine had broken his heart once. And how long ago that was.

"Explain." He said quietly. He wasn't going to let her get away with it. Not like that day, so many years ago, when she left him in the bed.

"Erik…it's just…"Christine sighed. "This is going to sound so incredibly cliché…"

"Go on." He commanded softly, an icy tone now lining his voice. Christine frowned for a minute, then took a breath to continue.

"It's just…I don't want to put myself out there to you, only to have to leave you." She said. "I, well, I said it before. I love you Erik. Still. That's the truth.

I don't want to hurt you again. After the way we parted, I couldn't bear it. I couldn't let you go after giving myself to you. So much happened between that day and now…I just…I don't know. There's so much I want from you, and so much I don't want to do to you or have you do to me or anything. What goes around comes around and I'm afraid that if I go around with this, you'll come around and leave me.

It's not just that either." She sighed, and continued on her explanation. "I know last time we tried to not be together and that didn't work. I don't want to involve myself with you and then have to act like it didn't happen. Or wait for that matter." She slumped against the arm of the couch. "Do you kind of understand?"

Erik didn't know what to say. Granted, he usually thought of every possibility that could be thrown out at him, but this time…he was dumb-found. He hadn't thought of that what Christine had just said, well some things he had, but not the last bit.

But she had been honest with him, and now the wheels in his head were turning. What could he do? If he agreed with her, which he did, he would deny himself (and her) what they both wanted. Then they would live with the tension of wanting each other, knowing it, and not being able to do anything. If he disagreed, he may well be putting both of their careers on the line.

"Christine." He moved closer to her. "I understand what you mean. I feel the same way." He spoke in relatively short sentences, he wasn't sure what he was going to say or how he was going to suggest what was on his mind. "May I propose an idea to you?"

"Alright…but…" She said, her voice trailing off as he placed his hand on top of hers. It was simple gesture, but for the pair of them, it sent a shock of electricity to their hearts.

"I agree with you that I would not be able to deny myself you. But you realize that our careers could be damaged, or finished if we became romantically involved at a time like this. Auditions are critical to your success and the success of this show is critical to my career. I am not trying to put our careers before the feelings we have for one another.

The only solution I can think of, my dear, is to involve ourselves, but keep it hidden until an appropriate time to be together is available to us. How long we will have to pretend we are just friends I do not know." He finished. He did not like the plan he had laid out, but he saw no alternative.

That was the choices laid out for them. Become lovers in secret, and then come out when they could. Stay friends and try and remain so until they could love again (if they ever could, passing up a chance like this could hurt them). Be together for a night and go about their lives. Erik knew that that one would not work, he loved Christine too much, and he had waited too long. But what to choose?

"Christine." Erik began again. "This time, I employ you, think about it. Not in the sense as before, where I commanded that you come and be my voice student. We need to decide this once and for all. But I cannot decide with up being here. This time, I ask you as your old lover, not as a harsh composer."

Christine could only nod. She knew that she would ultimately have to make a choice, they both would. And this time, it wasn't up to her. It was up to both of them, as friends, and as a couple.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon after, Christine left Erik's house. He did the normal things of telling her to practice and reminding her the same time next week. He did promise that Nadir would escort her. Christine's old suspicion of the Persian's absence was confirmed.

When she was in the shower, letting the hot water run over her body, she began to think about Erik. What did he want exactly? It was so hard to tell sometimes, but this time, she believed he wanted her. Christine did not know what to do. She always followed her heart, but now…

Her heart said to go with Erik, let it be a secret, as long as she could love him. But at the same time, her head said no. Do not let yourself get into a tangled web.

"It's only love." She said to the mirror. Wiping away the water on her face, she repeated the phrase, "It's only love."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, the troubled couple dreamed.

_Christine saw Erik at the park, sitting on his favorite bench, watching the ducks waddle past. _

_"Erik!" She cried out to him and rushed into his arms. He smiled and breathed in her shampooed hair, the scent of it filling his body with happiness. Today was big day for them. _

_"Christine…walk with me." He said, taking her hand and leading her down the path. _

_"Erik, where are you taking me?" she playfully asked, knowing full well they had explored the park and knew every intimate detail about it. _

_They walked in silence for some time. Erik did not seem to want to talk, but Christine didn't mind. It was a gorgeous spring day, the flowers were starting to bloom and it had rained the night before. Erik stopped at a bridge close to their favorite part of the park. _

_"Christine…" he said, turning to her. She smiled at him, his ever changing eyes had seattled on green this day. _

_"Yes my love?" She asked. He seemed nervous, which surprised her. Erik was rarely nervous, or at least knew how to hide it well._

_"Christine…we have been together for two years now…since you were a freshman." Erik began slowly. "I have never been happier. With you, my world seems to glow and you make me the happiest man alive." _

_"You sound like you're saying wedding vows." Christine giggled, trying to ease Erik._

_"Well…that is close." He said quietly. He pulled a box out of his pocket. "Christine…I know we are still in high school and we plan to go to college, but…I can not bear the thought of life without you." He opened the box. _

_"Oh my god Erik…" Christine breathed as she looked at the small ring. _

_"Please Christine…will you marry me?" Erik asked. _

_"Of course Erik!" Christine cried, tears of happiness welling up in her eyes. Erik smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly and looked beautiful against her creamy skin. _

_"It's so beautiful!" Christine laughed and kissed her now fiancée. _

_They stood at the bridge and watched the ducks swim for a bit longer. Christine looked down at the ring. Its silver band glinted in the sunlight as the sapphire caught the light as well. Around it, tiny diamonds sparkled, sending funny light reflections onto the bridge. _

_"Christine..." Erik said, as they gazed out at the scene before them. "Promise me that you will be with me forever."  
__  
"I promise." _

Christine woke up. She knew what she wanted.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erik woke up. He knew what he wanted. Now it was time to take action.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Curiouser and curiouser. I promise the next chapter will be the end of the emotinal debate between them and then on to auditions! I'm still thinking of a name for the show that Erik is putting on though...probably POTO related since it is about POTO. At some point, since this is EC they will be getting on with it but im debating whether or not to do a sex scene and whether or not it should be the time they do it as adults or as high school sweethearts...suggestions are welcome!**

**AOD**


	12. Decision

A week went by, and Christine spent it reflecting upon her meeting with Erik. They had left each other's company on good terms, but she still felt there would be tension between them.

She had consulted in her girlfriends, but they had insisted she should not go ahead with the relationship, in fear that her career would be destroyed. They did consider Erik's but they seemed a bit cooler towards him then they had previously.

What everyone seemed to be stressed out about was their careers. Christine wasn't sure if she should put her love for Erik before him or not. She knew what she wanted, but was unsure of whether or not to go with what it.

But now it was time to go to her lesson. She put on her coat and started down the stairs to the bottom floor. Living on the fourth floor wasn't so bad, but this time, the stairs seemed to be so very short.

Nadir was waiting for her when she exited the entrance of her building. He smiled and bowed his head in greeting. They walked in silence for a while, Christine's mind was racing. She could ask Nadir, no doubt Erik had already done so.

"Nadir, you know what's going on between Erik and me don't you?" She asked him.

"I do indeed."

"What do you think we should do?" Christine pressed, and held her breath for his answer.

"Christine, I can't tell you exactly what to do. But I believe that the love you two share is deep, you have a connection unlike any I have ever seen." Nadir said. "And no, I'm not just saying that to make you go with Erik." He added when Christine opened her mouth to speak. She closed it again.

"Remember, you hurt him very much." Nadir reminded her. "He wants to forgive you, I know that. You want to be forgiven."

Christine knew he was right. She nodded and knew that Nadir was only confirming what she believed to be the right thing. When they reached the house, Gerard took her coat and she went up the stairs. Today, they seemed to take forever to climb.

She got a bit of a shock when she quietly opened the door to the music room. Erik had the room sound proofed, so no sound could come out. But he had moved the piano to the window, and moonlight was coming in through the window. It seemed to be the only light that was in the room, but it was so strong that it lit up the entire room.

Erik himself sat at the bench, his mask gleaming in the moonlight. He had music out and was playing a song Christine did not recognize.

"Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor  
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender  
Turn your face away, from the garish light of day  
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light  
And listen to the music of the night"

She was intrigued by the haunting melody of the song. It was almost as if it was pulling at a string attacked to her soul. Christine had never heard of a song like it before, haunting and sad, yet so sensual and passionate at the same time.

"Close your eyes,  
And surrender to your darkest dreams  
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before  
Close your eyes, let you spirit start to soar  
And you'll live, as you've never lived before"

Christine found herself closing her eyes and letting the music take her away to the darkest parts of her own mind. There was only Erik, the piano, and the music. When he sang about letting her spirit soar, she felt a stirring in her core that made her feel like her spirit had actually let go.

"Softly, deftly, music shall caress you  
Hear it, feel it, secretly posses you

Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind  
In this darkness that you know you cannot fight  
The darkness of the music of the night

Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world  
Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before  
Let your soul take you where you long to be  
Only then can you belong to me

Floating, falling, sweet intoxication  
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation  
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in  
To the power of the music that I write  
The power of the music of the night"

Christine reached out and touched Erik's unmasked cheek. He stiffened slightly, but continued to play. She put her other hand on his masked face. The material felt cool under her skin. Erik turned and looked at her, his green eyes studying her. She felt a chill run through her.

"You alone can make my song take flight  
Help me make the music of the night"

He sang the last part looking directly at her, his eyes booring into hers. The music seemed to hang in the air above them, the sound of the ending blanketing them in the music room. She stood there, her hand on his cheek; the other had slipped off when he had looked at her. She blinked, and felt herself coming out of the spell that Erik and his song had put her under.

Christine did the only logical thing that she could. She leaned forward and kissed Erik. She didn't know if it was what Nadir had said, what she wanted, or the song that had the pull to do this, but she did it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You are alright with this?" Erik asked her, kissing her on the cheek. It had been an hour since Erik had sung his song, they had done Christine's music lesson in between kisses and singing.

"Depends." Christine smiled. "Are we talking about a relationship or the song for the audition?"

"Both." Erik chuckled.

"Yes to the audition and hell yes to the relationship." She laughed and closed the folder.

"Auditions are in about 2 weeks. Will you be ready by then?" Christine nodded seriously.

"I think so."

"I do not want you to think so Christine." Erik said. "I want you to know so. Can you come twice or three times a week to review your song?"

"Yeah, but isn't that a bit much?"

"I want you to be prepared."

"Is this all based on what you want?"

"Yes."

"That's not fair…"

"Nothing is. Sing the song for me again please." Erik put an end to their playful banter. Christine knew that she had to focus in order to succeed, no matter how badly she wanted to just put all seriousness aside and be with Erik.

They continued until Nadir came and told them that it was almost 7:30 and they had been at it for at least an hour and a half. And for God's sake, did they ever actually eat?

So the trio had eaten dinner at Erik's house that night. Gerard had served them some of the best food Christine had ever eaten. She was very content; her stomach full and in the company of her friends, though now one was her lover.

Nadir was smart and left them after an hour in their company. It was only 9:00 and Christine had no where to go the next day.

"Christine, you are sure about this?" Erik asked her as he kissed her. She smiled and told him to quit being so paranoid.

"You're ruining the mood Erik." Christine told him.

"Sorry." He said a bit sheepishly. "I just want to be sure."  
"Relax." Christine said. "I know this is what I want, and this is what you want…what were those songs lyrics?"

"Which one?"

"Close your eyes,  
And surrender to your darkest dreams  
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before  
Close your eyes, let you spirit start to soar  
And you'll live, as you've never lived before."

Christine sang to him. Erik smiled and pulled her closer for another kiss.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erik woke up to find Christine sleeping next to him. He breathed in the scent of her hair, and smiled to himself.

"Erik!" Nadir burst in through his bedroom door with a folder in his hands. "You have to come quick! This is really important! Oh my god…" His voice trailed off when he saw Christine in front of his friend. Erik hoped that she was covered. He felt himself get a bit red.

"Nadir. You really need to knock." Erik said quietly, trying to be dignified.

"I-Sorry. I thought she had left…" Nadir said, turning red in turn. "Why are you still wearing your mask?"  
"You know why. Look, just go sit quietly in my office, try and block out the image that you have witnessed, and I will come down."

"Yeah. Ok." Nadir turned quickly away and shut the door. Erik thanked someone that Christine had not woken up. At the protest of his muscles, he got out of bed and headed to the shower. He didn't want to leave Christine to wake up alone, but he had best see what Nadir deemed important enough to intrude on him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Yay! So they are finally together. Yeah, sorry if i've frazzled anyone's nerves. I guess since my own life is like so emotinoal and dramatic(small school, small city, ect...) it doesn't seem that bad.  
But yeah, so i might not be able to update bi-weekly because college apps and i got a new boyfriend(he probably won't affect my writing though). Ok that's a lie, i got inspired to do that little bit with Nadir and Erik cuz im totally walking on air. **

**AOD**


	13. Audition

"You did what???" Meg nearly blew out Christine's eardrum as she yelled. The girls had gotten together that Tuesday for lunch and Christine had told them what had ultimately happened.

"Christine isn't a virgin!" Angel laughed, clapping. "Oh wait…" Christine laughed. Angel had forgotten she had told them about her past with Erik. Meg knew they had been together, but not that they had slept together, so it had been a shock to her as well.

"Uh…guys don't mean to put you out, but aren't you worried about auditions?" Christine decided to just change the subject.

"Sorta…"Sorelli picked up on Christine's sort of vibe. "I don't really know if I can pull it off…"

"Just be glad you can sing…" Angel said. Her voice was famous on the stage for being insanely low, very few women would hit the almost tenor notes that she hit perfectly.

"You should be glad your hot boyfriend is helping you." Meg teased.

"You guys can't tell anyone. You're my best friends, Erik and I agreed that our close friends should know." Christine said seriously. She knew her friends wouldn't blab, but she still worried what her colleagues would think. She supposed all she could do was continue to work with Erik.

The next few weeks were very stressful for Christine. She spent much of her time at Erik's house, going over music and trying to relax. He was being very careful not to overwork her. She began to wonder if he was taking it too far when he put her to a special diet.

"Erik, I think you're worrying too much." She said to him as he put a plate of salad in front of her.

"I want you to get the part." He said.

"You're the director, knowing you; the part is probably perfect for me." She teased him, but he seemed to tense up.

"I do not know if you can do it." He said curtly.

"Erik, I love you very much, but I still think you're taking this a bit far. I mean, you put me on a diet! I can't eat animal products…well, except meat." Christine said to him.

"It is good for your voice." Erik defended.

"Still…" Christine said. "No chocolate?"

"That was just to torture you." Erik laughed. He did more of that these days.

"Are you serious?" Christine asked.

"No."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erik arrived at the theater well before the auditions were to begin. He met the other people who were going to help decide who would do what. There were the choreographers, the conductors, and the managers of the theater. They all sat quietly in the theater as Erik instructed them what to do.

"I want to make sure this goes as smoothly as possible." Erik told them. He walked off the stage as the other people began to talk. Monsieur Reyer and Ms. Brightman got up and left the theater. The musicians were being auditioned in an entirely different part of the theaters, the music recital hall. The Populaire Theater had multiple halls, a main stage theater, a dance hall, and a recital hall. Erik rarely concerned himself with the other two halls, he was patron to the main stage.

"Are you nervous for her?" Nadir had come to stand next to him, a clipboard of those who were to audition in his hands.

"Yes." Erik said softly. "But I have faith in her."

"Will you be taking your normal position, or..." Nadir let the question hang.

"I will be in Box 5."

"Shall I sit in the panel where you would normally be?" Nadir asked.

"You are the director of the show." Erik reminded his best friend.

"True. But I direct all your shows."

"Yes. I am afraid only you have the sense to do so."

"Erik, I do love doing your shows, but this one…"

"It is darker than most."

"Not as dark as Don Juan Truimphante." Nadir reminded Erik of the opera that he had written.

"End of discussion." Erik said curtly. Nadir knew he had hit a soft spot in his friend. But he nodded and went away.

As Erik climbed the stairs to his box, he thought of what Nadir had said. Don Juan Triumphante had been written during a dark period in his life. He had no intention of releasing it to the public, this show was not as dark. At least he felt. Christine did not actually know what the show was about. Erik had purposely kept the show between himself and Nadir.

He sat down in the box and arranged his papers before him. Nadir would run the resumes and headshot of each actor who would sing and act for them.

"And now…we begin." He said to himself as he saw the trickle of actors coming in.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christine arrived by herself to the theater. She was very nervous, so nervous that she had spent the night at Erik's house. He had helped her pick out clothes that were flattering to her body shape. She had worn very little make-up, knowing she would have to dance. Christine had to keep reminding herself that she was just doing another audition, rather than doing an audition that might make her career.

"You are fine." She said to herself as she joined the small throng of other hopeful people.

When she arrived inside, she was given a number. She pinned it to herself and sat down. Meg and Christian came and sat with her when they arrived. Soon after, Angel arrived, towing a protesting Sorelli.

"She's nervous." Angel said as a way of explanation. They managed to coax Sorelli into a chair and tried to calm her down. Sorelli managed to stop hyperventilating, but they couldn't get her to stop shaking.

"Attention everyone!" Mr. Andre was standing on the stage, looking very excited. "It is time to start. Let me first welcome you to the audition for the new Destler musical, Time to Say Goodbye!

We have many people auditioning today. May I remind you that auditions are going on for the entire week, as we are doing the first ever combined musical with the Populaire Theater and the Crawford Theater.

Please, would numbers 1-30 go to the dance hall and learn the choreography, and numbers 30-60 stay in the theater."

There was much noise as people began to move to their respected places. Christine was number 46. She would stay in the theater. Her friends were also in her number range. They had all managed to stay together.

Christine suddenly felt a rush of nerves as she realized that she would have to audition her song sooner than she would have liked.

It wasn't that it was a bad song…it was just very personal for her. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.

Erik felt himself breath easier as he saw Christine stay in the theater. She would get the singing part over with. He trusted her; he knew she knew the song. If he felt comfortable, it must have be ok. At least, Erik sorely hoped that.

The first few singers he heard were only mediocre. He marked them down as people who would fit in the ensemble or have non-singing roles. Some of the people who were singing Erik wondered how they even got into the professional business. Perhaps he was being too harsh. Nadir often accused him of such. But this musical was intense and he needed intense actors. Some of the women who were auditioning he thought looked like they would just be blown over by the wind.

"Nadir." He said into the cell phone that was on loudspeaker.

"Yes?"

"I want strong women and men doing this show."

"Ok Erik. Whatever you say."

Erik sat back and continued to look at the people who were auditioning. He felt his temper starting to rise as fewer and fewer of them seemed to be doing well. Number 40 was doing particularly poorly.

"Number 40!" Erik's voice boomed in the theater. "This song is a belting song. If you cannot belt do not pick such a song!" The man on stage looked around and then continued to sing.

"Number 40! You need to be able to belt!" Erik's voice was louder now. The man quickly got off the stage.

"Uh…please…number 41?" Ms. Kay said uncertainly. She was the other manager at the Crawford. Clearly, she had never worked with Erik before.

"My theater will be run accordingly…"Erik said to himself as he sat down.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christine felt chills run up and down her spine as she heard Erik's voice. The poor man onstage had left in near tears. She felt bad for him, but now she was even more afraid for herself. What if she totally messed up her song?

"Christine…you're shaking!" Meg whispered held Christine's hand in her own. "Your hands are cold…"  
"It frightens me…"

"Don't be frightened." Meg consoled her. Number 41 was doing very well. Better than 40 anyway. Christine looked at her watch. They had been there an hour. The judges were letting people take their time. Christine sent a silent prayer to anyone listening that this would be her case as well.

Christine knew that most of these people were incredibly talented. She was also even more nervous because who should pop up before her but Carlotta Guidicelli herself. She had flounced in and cut in front of the line that had formed, taken a number and sat at the judge's table until Nadir had politely asked her to get out of his seat. She just smiled, patted him on the cheek and gotten up. Meg had told Christine that she had been fuming ever since. Clearly this woman was used to being treated above others. Christine couldn't help but smirk at the thought when Erik got through with her.

"Number 45." Nadir called out. Carlotta got up from where she had been sitting and strutted down the center aisle. She was wearing a really long, flowing skirt.

"How is she going to dance?" Angel whispered loudly. "And that shirt!"

"Shouldn't she cover up a bit?" Sorelli asked nervously. They were right. Carlotta was wearing a really low cut tube top. It made her look younger and like she was wearing a dress.

"What will you be singing Miss Guidicelli?" Mr. Andre asked Carlotta with a smile. Ms. Kay elbowed him. "I mean, Number 45?"

"Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again." She said sweetly.

"Begin when you're ready."

Carlotta held up her arms and took an exaggerated breath.

"_You were once _

_My one companion _

_You were all that mattered _

_You were once _

_A friend and father _

_Then my world was shattered" _

Christine winced. Why was she singing so high?

_"Wishing you were somehow here again _

_Wishing you were somehow near _

_Sometimes it seemed _

_If I just dreamed _

_Somehow you would be here _

_Wishing I could hear your voice again _

_Knowing that I never would _

_Dreaming of you _

_Won't help me to do _

_All that you dreamed I could" _

"Stop." Erik's voice rang out. Carlotta didn't. She kept going until the end of the song, which sounded good, but almost bordered to the terrible side of things.

"I can't hear." Angel said. "I seriously can't hear."

"Thank you." Nadir said in a thick voice. He sounded like he had a headache. "You may go." Carlotta remained on the stage as if waiting for something. When nothing came, she stomped off.

"Number 46!" It was Christine's turn. With a gulp, she got up, straightened her shirt and walked towards the stage. She felt like she was going to be sick. It seemed to take forever. Christine kept reminder herself to walk with confidence. Head up, shoulders back. Walk faster! You're taking too long! She was panicking now.

"46…you will be singing?" Nadir looked at her over her resume and head shot.

"Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again." Christine said, hoping it sounded more confident than she actually felt. "A part of it at least."

"Good, good. Begin when you're ready." Nadir winked at her. Christine instantly felt more at ease. Looking towards the back of the theater, she took a deep breath and began.

_"Wishing you were somehow here again _

_Wishing you were somehow near _

_Sometimes it seemed _

_If I just dreamed _

_Somehow you would be here _

_Wishing I could hear your voice again _

_Knowing that I never would _

_Dreaming of you _

_Won't help me to do _

_All that you dreamed I could _

_Passing bells _

_And sculpted angels _

_Cold and monumental _

_Seemed for you _

_The wrong companions _

_You were warm and gentle _

_Too many years _

_Fighting back tears _

_Why can't the past just die?" _

"Thank you 46!" Ms. Kay said. She had been writing notes the entire time.

"Ah…46? I have a question about your resume." Nadir said "Please come down here." Christine thanked them and got off stage to see what was wrong with her resume.

"Look right here…" Nadir said. It was a blank piece of paper that simply read '_He's in box five.'_

"Oh I wrote that here as well." She said to him pointing at a nonexistent line.

"Ok. Thank you." He smiled at her. Christine signaled to her friends that she would be right back and quickly made her way to Box 5 before anyone would notice her.

She quietly opened the door to the box and slipped inside.

"How did I do?" Christine's voice came from behind Erik. He turned and got a kiss.

"I can not disclose that."

"Tell me as my teacher." She said as she sat in the chair next to him.

"Brava." He kissed her. "Brava." He kissed her again. "Bravissima!" He kissed her a third time and turned to look at the man auditioning.

"Did I really do that well?" She asked. Erik didn't reply. He didn't want to give anything way to her, but he did have the obligation as her teacher.

"You did well. Better than, I thought, that peacock before you."

"Oh. Carlotta." Christine ran her hand along Erik's arm.

"Yes." Erik felt chills, even from underneath the suit.

"By the way, you scared that poor man…"

"I did? I had not noticed."

"He left the theater in tears."

"Perhaps he should learn to sing properly." Christine said nothing.

"He did well." Erik said, indicating to the man who had just finished.

"Yes."

"Is that your little blond friend?" Erik asked, as Meg got up on stage.

"Yeah."

Meg began to sing, she sounded very good. Her voice was a bit lower than Christine's and not quite as lyrical. She was singing a very peppy song, so like her. When she finished, she thanked the panel and made way for Christian.

"Is little Meg still dating this Christian?"

"Yes. They've been dating since…Aida I think."

"Hm. He is really talented." And Christian was. Christine had never heard him sing before. They listened in silence until Mr. Andre stopped him. Erik wrote some notes on Christian.

"Is he related to Michelle Brightman?" He asked as he continued to write.

"Who?"

"The music director and conductor at the Crawford."

"Oh…I don't know."

More people got on stage and sang. Most of them were really good, more talented then Erik could hope for. Perhaps his show would not be a total let down…

"Ah…it is your very assertive friend. Angel DuMonte?" He said quietly as Angel confidently got on stage.

"Oh…yes." Christine looked at her friend. "How did you know she was so assertive?"

"A…guess if you will." Erik said. He had not told her about the phone call.

"Very deep voice." Erik observed. He wrote a note to himself on the paper. "I like it."

"Really?" Erik nodded.

"It's a very rare gift…she should be proud of it."  
"She's not."

"Perhaps it is time she is." Erik wrote more notes to himself. There was a part that required a deep range from a woman. Perhaps he could cast Angel into the part. He still had more days of auditioning though.

They listened in silence as Sorelli auditioned. It was getting near to the end, Sorelli was number 58.

"Perhaps you should go back." Erik suggested.

"Do you want me to?"

"No. But I want you to do well in your acting audition so you should go down and get a part to read."

"Ok. Will I see you tonight?"

"I do not believe so. I am very busy; I have to go through these things." He pointed to the stack of papers that next to him.

"Oh. Ok." Christine kissed him and got up to leave.

"Christine…" She turned to look back at him. He felt the urge to leave and take her away with him. "I do wish I could see you."

"I know."

"I love you." She looked a bit surprised.

"I love you too."

Christine's acting audition went as well as it could. At least she felt it had. Her friends agreed that it was very good, but Angel was a little busy agonizing over the fact she had lost her place in what she wanted to say. There wasn't much they could do about it though, except console her that her singing was really good.

Learning the choreography was very hard however, the girls had a difficult time. They had never seen such hard choreography in an audition before.

"5, 6, 7, 8!" Mr. Firmin yelled out. Christine felt like her body was trying to keep up, but she couldn't. Meg slipped and fell. The other people had to dance around her as she struggled to get up without being in someone's way.

"Meg come on!" Christine said as she spun around.

"I'm trying!" The part of the song they were dancing to ended.

"Ok people!" Mr. Chung, the Crawford choreographer, wiped his face with a towel. "15 minutes before you do it for real!" People scrambled to practice.

"I don't get this part…" Sorelli said as she showed them.

"Go the other way with the other foot." Angel showed her. Sorelli tried and almost tripped herself.

"It's hard!" She complained as she tried again.

"If this is the audition stuff, I hate to see the whole show." Christine muttered. Erik obviously wasn't taking them for a walk in the park.

"He's your boyfriend." The other three girls said together.

"Sorry!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erik put his head on his hands. The last singer had been phenomenal…if only they were a woman instead of a man. He sighed.

Auditioning was never fun for Erik. Sitting for hours watching people either do very well or terrible made him hate his job.

"Please, make this go faster…" He said aloud to the roof.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christine left the theater with Meg. Angel was going out with Tom, whom she had finally gotten back together with. After much pleading on his part, she finally consented, even though the girls had bothered her about still loving Tom. Sorelli wasn't feeling well, so she went home.

Christine spent the remainder of the day with Meg. She knew it was going to be a slow week. The results for the casting didn't come out until next week.

By Thursday, Christine was really missing Erik. She had not seen him since the audition. She hoped that he was having a better time than she was. Christine had passed the days by going out with her friends, watching TV, catching up on her reading. Not much had happened, with the exception of Angel getting engaged to Tom. The girls planned to celebrate it the following week, after their fears had been eased. Tom hadn't been happy about it, but there was little he could to, as most of Angel's friends were in theater companies.

Christine spent her time alone contemplating. She thought about her father, Erik, and the changes that had been brought about. There was little to think about, it wasn't as conflicting as it had seemed originally. People still didn't know about her and Erik, and she was quite happy that way. She decided that the best time would be either during the run of the show, or after it had closed. But it was something she wanted to talk about with Erik.

The phone rang that Thursday afternoon. Christine was playing the piano, a pastime she was doing more and more to make the time go by.

"Hello?" She asked the receiver.

"Hello my Angel." Erik's soft voice came through.

"Erik!"

"Yes."

"Aren't you auditioning?"

"No. We finished early, and have made our decisions." Christine's heart flip flopped.

"So the results…?"  
"They will be up on Monday."

"Are you happy with them?"

"I cannot reveal that to you my dear."

"Aw…Then why did you call?"

"I was going to ask if you would like to go to the lake for the weekend. We could leave tomorrow."

"Oh! Uh…Sure. I'd love to!" Christine was pleasantly surprised.

"I am afraid it will not be warm, but there is plenty to do without going swimming…"

"That's ok."

"I will pick you up at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Ok! I'll see you then."

"Bye."

"Bye Erik."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**I'm sorry i took so long with this chapter, i've been in Portugal. They dont really have free internet for an American computer...I should be getting updates more often, but my college apps are all due in the coming 3 or so months. but on the plus side, i have 3 other stories that are in the works. **

**AOD**


End file.
